***
Gospel: Luke 6: 6-11
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up and stand before us.”
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
“Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
In ancient Palestine, most men made a living through manual labor. For example, Joseph was a carpenter. Paul was a tent maker. Peter was a fisherman. Tradition states that the man in today’s Gospel was a stone mason.
Like many other professions, masonry required the use of both hands. Thus, this man’s withered hand not only prevented him from working; it was also symbolic of his fate without an income.
Dead.
***
His injury also represented the withered hearts of the religious authorities, who were paralyzed by their harsh interpretation of the Law. While it was a good thing to heal this man’s hand, it was considered “work.”
And work was only permissible on six, not seven, days a week. The Sabbath was God’s appointed day of rest. This became what angered the Lord. People placed boundaries around the supreme law of charity.
***
This Gospel scene poses a few points of reflection for us today.
Have our hearts become withered in any way? Do we ever place boundaries around charity? Do we miss opportunities to love, to forgive, to encounter Christ in our neighbor?
***
On this Labor Day, we are also reminded of the inherent dignity of work. Just as the stone mason in today’s Gospel deserved to earn his daily bread, so do all who call America (or anywhere in this world) home.
As Pope Leo recently stated, “The most important way to help the disadvantaged is to assist them in finding a good job, so that they can lead a more dignified life by developing their abilities and contributing their fair share.”
May we never forget that a healthy economy is often built upon the backs of ordinary people like this stone mason – people who not only deserve the opportunity to work, but also to earn a livable wage.
May Christ, himself a carpenter by trade,, pray for us.
***
***
Image credits: (1) Time.now (2) clsfchurch.ca (3) SMART Local 71