Love Has No Limits

Gospel: Luke 13: 10-17

Yesterday we were commanded to love God and neighbor.  Today we find a concrete application of that command and a scene that is worthy of reflection.  A woman in the synagogue is frail and ill; she does not ask Jesus for healing.  He simply approaches her and heals her on the spot.  People object because this took place on the sabbath and in the synagogue, but Jesus does it anyway.  

It is always the case that whenever Jesus sees someone in need - whether they ask for help or not - he heals them and provides for their need.  And how often is it the case that the disciples and religious leaders will object to Jesus helping someone, arguing the person is not worthy, or it is not the right day or place or it cannot be done.  In every case Jesus ignores them.  How often it is the case that Jesus performs healings in religious buildings that should be places of healing but are not because they have become private social clubs rather than hospitals of body, mind, and spirit.

We read the Gospels to become more like Jesus in our daily lives.  We have the disciples and religious leaders in these stories to remind us where we at, falling short.  How often do we - how often would we - seek to prevent someone from encountering Jesus and find healing in him? But we have the example of Jesus that inspires us to be open and compassionate to all.