Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Before healing a man’s withered hand, Jesus asked the scribes and Pharisees in the synagogue if they thought it lawful to do something good on the Sabbath. They refused to answer but became enraged when Jesus worked the miracle. Jesus chose the Twelve Apostles after spending a night in prayer. Their world got turned upside down! The Beatitudes illustrated why as Jesus declared that people who suffered hardships would find themselves eternally blessed. Challenges we face may seem to contradict hope. Sometimes, we don’t know what to do. Jesus’ words provide the bedrock for what we can make of our lives. We need to listen and to act on His lessons. How often do we want God to revise the perfect blueprint of His plan when, instead, we should dig more deeply into the Lord’s words and pursue actions that build from there?