Readings: Ephesians 4:32-5:8; Psalm 1; Luke 13:10-17
The days are getting shorter and the temperature is getting cooler. Many people are preparing for winter – yard work, extra insulation, getting out the winter coats and putting on the winter tires. WWJD comes to mind as I read today’s first reading from Ephesians. This acronym is based on the popular bracelets WWJD…What Would Jesus Do? I think it came from a World Youth Day with St. John Paul II years ago. The reading is filled with specific guidance on how to live life as a good and honourable person. We are called to be kind and compassionate. Rather than engage in silly or suggestive talk, we should offer thanksgiving. Immorality, impurity or greed should be nowhere to be found. The refrain from today’s Psalm supports this wise counsel: “Behave like God as beloved children.”These simple instructions are also profound.
And then in today’s Gospel from Luke we are presented with a meaningful contrast to that message from the first reading. Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on a sabbath and healed a woman who had been crippled for 18 years. Her faith in Jesus set her free from physical challenges and pain. Rather than being happy for the woman, the leader of the synagogue became indignant that Jesus would choose to cure on the sabbath.
The feelings that the gospel stirred in me now leave me wondering: How many times I have behaved in the same judgmental way as the synagogue leader? It’s easy to agree to the clear instructions of Paul to live life as a good person, but it can be very difficult to put these values into action when we feel uncertain, scared, challenged, threatened or drained, like many people are, maybe even ourselves, during this pandemic.
I ask God for grace to turn from temptations of greed and gossip and give me compassion, especially for those whom I am usually not compassionate with. Knowing that God wants me to use my gifts in service to others, I ask God to help me know how I can best accompany others. With God’s grace I will now, at least for a few days, remember these letters to live by: WWJD?