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Commentary on the Gospel for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Once again, we encounter the same story: a sick man, the presence of Jesus, and the others—the Pharisees, the scribes, and all those who cared far more about the law than anything else—closely watching every step, gesture, and word of Jesus, hoping to catch Him making a mistake. Too many people were following Jesus, and His message was revolutionary simply because, instead of focusing on the law, He focused on the well-being of people. And that was dangerous, as it had the potential to disrupt the social order.
It seems like Jesus is already tired of being constantly watched and scrutinized. There’s a phrase in today’s Gospel that truly stands out and even gives us a different image of Jesus than we’re used to: the text says that Jesus looked around “with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.” Jesus, angry. Jesus, frustrated. Jesus, who has seemingly run out of ways to convince the Pharisees and scribes that what He is doing is the very essence of what God does: setting aside the obsession with laws and rules to focus solely on the well-being of His sons and daughters. And, having no more arguments to give, Jesus does what truly matters: He heals the man with the withered hand and restores his life.
A man with a paralyzed hand couldn’t work, couldn’t feed his family or himself. He was forced to live on the margins and survive by begging. So, Jesus does much more than heal his hand—He restores his humanity and his dignity.
As followers of Jesus, we must always remember that, for Him, the well-being of people was far more important than the strict observance of rules. While some might make a big issue out of whether communion should be received in the hand or on the tongue, or whether one should kneel during the consecration, we must remember that the real priority is to save people, to build fraternity and justice, and to open our hands to share what we have. This is what truly matters. The other things may be worth discussing; there can be a diversity of opinions on them. But what is essential is non-negotiable. And it should be our primary concern.