Rejoice in the Good

Gospel: Luke 11: 14-23

Jesus performs a good deed for someone: he frees a man who was plagued by a demon his entire life.  The man is now made whole and a better version of himself.  It is cause for rejoicing, and yet we find a group of people utterly unhappy because it was Jesus who performed this good deed and not someone of their company.  So they take the opportunity to grumble about this good deed rather than celebrating with this man.  

Perhaps we ourselves are not as open and welcoming as we would imagine ourselves to be.  A single mom comes to church with their toddler who is a handful and who is loud.  Do we rejoice that they are with us at table, or do we grumble because the child is inconvenient to us? A new person comes to church and sits in a seat, only to be told to move by a parishioner who asserts that this seat is hers.  New people are welcome, as long as they are not inconvenient to us.

Today is a day for deep reflection.  Are we rejoicing in the presence of other people among us, or only those we happen to like? Do we rejoice when good is done for others and by others, or are we surly and mope like the Pharisees?  The presence of Jesus in the guise of other people continue to challenge us each day in our love for others.