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Commentary on the Gospel for September 9, 2024
Dear friend,
As we read in the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?” In other words, a small act, full of power, love, and conviction, can change many things. Even if it seems objectively insignificant, it can hide the strength of God’s grace that transforms everything it touches.
It’s good to remember this, since sometimes we get discouraged when it comes to taking concrete steps that can change the reality of our work, family, or personal life. “It’s not worth it,” we think, forgetting that the great changes in history and in the life of faith have started with small gestures, but ones that are full of life, like yeast.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus performs a small but life-filled gesture: He heals the arm of a paralyzed man. What most of the witnesses in the synagogue fail to see is that, besides healing the arm, Jesus has healed the whole person. He has forgiven his sins along with his physical healing, and this allows him to be seen as someone who is not a sinner. We have to remember that in the Jewish mindset, if a person suffered from an illness, it was the consequence of a sin committed by the person himself or by his parents, so the illness was God’s punishment for that sin. Therefore, this person, completely healed, is no longer seen as an outcast; he is reintegrated into society as a person worthy of trust.
Small gestures do a lot, you just have to believe in the strength of God’s grace that accompanies us in all the actions we do with good will. Let’s not give up before our time; we have a lot of yeast in our hands to share.
Your brother in faith,