Monday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Luke 6:6-11In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man whose right hand is withered. After calling him to stand before everyone, Jesus gives him a simple command: “Stretch out your hand.” Humanly speaking, this is precisely what the man cannot do; his hand is disabled. Yet he does not argue with Jesus about his limitations or wait until he feels capable, he does what Jesus tells him, and his hand is restored. This reveals something essential about faith: the Word of Christ often asks us to take a step that seems beyond our strength, but the grace to accomplish it is contained in the very word He speaks. We may hear Him asking us to forgive when we feel unable to forgive, to begin again after failure, to trust when we are afraid, to serve when we feel exhausted, or to open our hearts after they have been wounded. If we focus only on our weakness, we remain with the withered hand; if we trust His word and act upon it, we make room for His healing power. The man’s obedience did not produce the miracle by itself; rather, his obedience allowed the power of Jesus to restore what he could never restore on his own. The Gospel therefore invites us to a simple but profound faith: when Jesus speaks, take the step He asks of us. What seems impossible in our weakness can become possible through our obedience to His grace. Let’s reflect: What is Jesus asking me to “stretch out” today, and do I trust His word enough to act, believing that His grace can restore what I cannot heal by myself?
Don Giorgio