Jesus took him and healed him

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Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Salt of the Sound

Today is Friday the 31st of October, the feast of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ, in the 30th week of Ordinary Time.

Salt of the Sound sing “Turn your eyes upon Jesus… and the things of the earth will fall strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of the earth

Will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

In the light of His glory and grace

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Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke and we will enter into it imaginatively. Today there will be no repeat reading.

Luke 14:1-6

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?’ But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’ And they could not reply to this.

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Fields

Somniscape

Imagine that you are accompanying Jesus to the meal at the house of a leader of the Pharisees. We hear that the Pharisees were watching him closely. What is it like to be there with Jesus? What is the atmosphere like?

Picture now the man with dropsy, just in front of Jesus. Dropsy was the name in those days for oedema, excessive water retention, causing the limbs to swell. The man must have been experiencing great discomfort.

As you imagine the appearance of this man, notice the way Jesus looks at him.

Now Jesus turns to the Pharisees, asking, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath or not?’ They remain silent. Sit for a few moments with the silence in this room. What, do you think, is not being said?

Stand with Jesus and watch him as he takes the man, heals him, then sends him away.

Despite the atmosphere around him, Jesus doesn’t seem to worry about what the Pharisees think of him, demonstrating his freedom to heal on the Sabbath, to do only his Father’s will, as he is the Lord of the Sabbath. There might be times we feel judged by others when ministering for the Lord. What would it feel like to be free of concern about this “judgement”?

Now watch as Jesus fixes his attention on the Pharisees. Imagine the scene in the room as Jesus poses his question. ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’ 

‘And they could not reply to this’. Stay with the silence in the room a moment longer, noticing the mood.

End the time of prayer today, reflecting on your experience in this scripture. What has most struck you or perhaps most moved you during this encounter?

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Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen