＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

1 Corinthians 5:1-8

You have become news with a case of im­morality,

And such a case that is not even found among pagans. Yes, one of you has taken as wife his own stepmother. And you feel proud! Should you not be in mourning instead and expel the one who did such a thing. 

For my part, although I am physically absent, my spirit is with you and, as if present, I have already passed sen­tence on the man who committed such a sin.  Let us meet together, you and my spirit, and in the name of our Lord Jesus and with his power, you shall deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit be saved in the day of Judgment.  This is not the time to praise yourselves.

Do you not know that a little yeast makes the whole mass of dough rise?  Throw out, then, the old yeast and be new dough. If Christ became our Pass­over, you should be un­leavened bread. Let us celebrate, therefore, the Passover, no longer with old yeast, which is sin and per­ver­sity; let us have unleavened bread, that is purity and sincerity.

 

Ps 5:5-6, 7, 12

Lead me in your justice, Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 6:6-11

On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began teaching. There was a man with a paralyzed right hand and the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched him: Would ­Jesus heal the man on the Sabbath? If he did, they could accuse him.

 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man, “Get up and stand in the middle.” Then he spoke to them, “I want to ask you: what is allowed by the Law on the Sabbath, to do good or to do harm, to save life or destroy it?” And Jesus looked around at them all.

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored, becoming as whole as the other. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another how they could deal with Jesus.

 

Gospel Reflection：

The rules surrounding the Sabbath spring from God’s rest after creation. No one then should do work during the Sabbath. God’s rest, however, does not mean inaction and withdrawal from His creation.

When He rested, on seventh day, He relishes, maintains, and sustains His creation. He is still very active making sure His creation maintains its goodness. Part of that maintenance and sustenance is reparation when there is damage.

God’s rest is a relentless preservation of what is good – of life. God is busier during His rest than on the days of creation. Jesus tries to show this real value of the Sabbath.

It is to relish, maintain, and sustain the life God has given us. if such a life is impaired, Sabbath has to repair it. One cannot rest when his life, let alone the life of his brother or sister, is out of order.