Monday of 30th week even numbered year
“One Sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues and there before him was a woman who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that crippled her ; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said’ Woman you are freed from your disability’. And he laid her hands on her. And at once she straightened up and she glorified God.”
We contemplate Jesus in the compassion he has for suffering humanity. His attention towards the weakest people has him recognise this woman who must have been humbly bent over. The power of the Eternal Word calls us forth and chases away Evil spirits. Jesus tells us that if this woman has been bent over for eighteen years it is because of a demon. She is the image of humanity that is bent over before Jesus’ Coming, crushed by all the spirits dominating the world. Also, this woman manifests all that within us is crushed by the weight of our sins, all that is driven by the world and its covetousness.
Jesus doesn’t wait for this woman to ask to be healed. He acts seeing humanity under the influence of sin, crushed by the weight of powerful demons weighing down upon her.
This woman gets up and this is already the expression of Jesus’ Resurrection.. She can stand before the Father with Christ and contemplate God face to face.She had been the person who hadn’t even been able to look at Jesus who ends up saving her. Yes, this healing Jesus does is a sign of Resurrection in this woman, bent down under the weight of the devil.
“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound tehse eighteen years! ’When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were over joyed at all the wonders he worked.”
Here we see again religious authorities shock and they wel put Jesus into his Passion and to the Cross.
In the Gospel there is adversity it is around the hierarchy of the commandments.
’This woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan tied up.’ Jesus heals her without her consent. Now standing upright, she becomes a living paise for her Creature.
This recital is a pearl which sends us light in an extraordinary way.
We are here before the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, for he takes upon himself all of the world’s suffering.
Jesus unties this woman, but he will be tied on the wood. This is the risk he takes when he unties this woman. The hands that untied others will be tied on the Cross. Out of love for us all, Jesus accepts this. We know very well how much our own links are in need of being delivered, all that prevents us form true Life and Love.
This deliverance passes through Jesus the Saviour, through the Holy Spirit who I given to us. ’The crowd was in joy seeing all the marvellous actions He did.“”But the president of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day and he addressed all those present, saying ’There are six days when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath."
If the synagogue president is polite, he is in fact dangerous, for his reproach is for this poor woman for having been healed on a Sabbath day, rather than for Jesus who took the initiative to heal her. Jesus answers him that God sees humanity with so much Goodness and Mercy. He has this woman get up again, be fully free in God, praising Him, singing to Him, face to face with God in the power of the Resurrection.
Jesus manifests himself as the Saviour who is expected who comes to deliver humanity by his gestures of Love.
God’s spirit accompanies this woman who goes to pray ta the synagogue.
As the Holy Spirit animates Jesus’ prayer, so must He also animate our own prayer. Jesus works in humanity who wants to stand up again; the Holy Spirit tells our spirit how we are God’s children.