GOSPEL

“Is it lawful to save life rather than to destroy it?”

From the Gospel according to Mark 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.There was a man there who had a  withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death. 

The Gospel of the Lord

 

Against the ground.

Then there is pride, which leads a person to want to retaliate against another simply because they don’t do things the way the person believes they should be done according to their personal criteria. There’s the individual who commits a traffic violation and honks at you, there are Christian communities where members get upset because things are not organized as well as they should be, and there are also spouses who constantly correct their partners because they think they’re smarter. Imagine being stuck in traffic; choosing one lane will prompt them to claim the other lane is always faster… Regardless of the trivial example, where does love fit into these scenarios? Perhaps something could be improved, but to reach a state of lack of love for that reason, and even revenge or hatred? Well, this is one face of pride, and anyone without it in some form should cast the first stone.

Applied to married life:

Sue: What are you doing lying there?

Anthony : I’m trying to crush myself against the ground because I have temptations to be more valued by you, and since I know I don’t deserve it, I’m trying to put myself in my place. But no matter how much I squash myself against the ground, I can’t do it.

Sue: Hahaha, you’re so funny. But you’re so right. Can I squash myself next to you against the ground?

Anthony: Of course, there’s room for you here. I think my nose is starting to poke through the ceiling below. If you help me, maybe we’ll make a hole and see the neighbors.

Sue: I love your sense of humor, especially when you laugh at yourself. I have a lot to learn from you in that respect.

Anthony: Shhh, because then I have to come down my pride, and I’m going to end up in the sewers…

Mother,

How insignificant I am before God, I am small, very very tiny.  Praise be to the only Holy One.