GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.

And a woman was there who for eighteen years

had been crippled by a spirit;

she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.

When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,

“Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”

He laid his hands on her,

and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

But the leader of the synagogue,

indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,

said to the crowd in reply,

“There are six days when work should be done.

Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”

The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites!

Does not each one of you on the sabbath

untie his ox or his ass from the manger

and lead it out for watering?

This daughter of Abraham,

whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,

ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day

from this bondage?”

When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;

and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

The word of the Lord

 

Sin bends us low, and LOVE lifts us up

There is an image in this Gospel that can shed profound light on our marriage: a woman who has been bent over for eighteen years, unable to lift her gaze. Jesus sees her, calls her, draws near to her and sets her free. He does not wait for her to ask; His love takes the initiative.

We too can live bent over within our marriage. Sometimes, because of past wounds, pride, weariness, unmet expectations, or the small grievances we gradually accumulate, we stop looking at one another through God’s eyes. We become trapped in our own pain, find it difficult to acknowledge our share of responsibility, and end up focusing more on our spouse’s faults than on their dignity as a beloved child of God.

Sin bends us inwards upon ourselves; the love of Christ raises us up so that we may once again look upon the other. We are called to discover that our husband or wife is not someone we must change according to our own standards, but a gift from God, a person we are called to love as Christ loves them. And yet, how often do we seek to correct before we understand, to demand before we give of ourselves, and to be right before restoring communion?

There is another important detail: the leader of the synagogue is indignant because Jesus has healed on the Sabbath. He is so focused on the rule that he loses sight of the person. We too can fall into this trap within marriage: becoming so concerned with how things ought to be done, with who is right, or with who has fulfilled their responsibilities, that we forget what truly matters: is my husband or wife in need of love at this moment? Jesus reminds us that the law is at the service of love, not love at the service of our demands.

Marriage is not meant to be a courtroom where each person defends their rights, but a covenant in which both learn to give themselves wholeheartedly to one another.

 

Applied to married couples 

Pam: Nick, today’s Gospel made me think that sometimes I become so caught up in my own disorder that I fail to realise how it affects you. But I also need you to look at me with affection and not only see the things I’ve left lying around.

Nick: Yes, that’s true. Very often I focus more on the mess than on you. I want everything to be in its proper place, and I end up forgetting that you are far more important than a perfectly tidy house.

Pam: Sometimes, when you correct me, I feel as though you can’t see anything good in me. And I find it hard to change because I feel judged rather than loved.

Nick: Forgive me, Pam. I want to learn to correct you with love, without placing demands on you because of my perfectionism. I do not want my need for order to rob us of our peace.

Pam: And I want to make a greater effort to keep things tidy, not simply to avoid your annoyance, but because I know it is also a way of caring for you. I also want to try not to become discouraged when you are upset with me. Deep down, I know that this too is caused by my pride, which prevents me from remaining at peace when you criticise something.

Nick: Well, I know a thing or two about pride myself. I want to learn to look at you as Christ looks at us, and to let Him straighten my heart as well.

Pam: And I want to stop fighting, so that it is no longer you against me, but both of us together, allowing God to teach us how to love one another better.

Nick: Then today we begin again: you by bringing a little more order, and I by showing a lot more love, and both of us by having much, much more patience with one another.

Pam: Deal! And if we forget, may Jesus remind us that our marriage and our communion are worth far more than anything else.

Mother,
teach us to see ourselves through your eyes and not to place demands on ourselves out of pride, but to embrace ourselves with mercy. Blessed be the Lord.