The gospel today presents a very powerful image of Christ; a Christ that empowers and frees. In this case, Jesus recognizes the suffering of the crippled woman and rescues her from her ailment. The first reading of the day calls us to be imitators of God. Although we cannot perfectly imitate God, we can learn from and strive to emulate the life of Jesus, who God reveals himself through. As Jesus used his gifts and life to empower and free those in need, we can deduce that following the path of Christ calls us to empower and serve others through our own gifts and talents. Whether that entails comforting a family member or friend in a difficult situation or reaching out to the suffering of those afflicted by poverty or sickness, we can recognize that service to others is fundamental to the message and life of Jesus.

Rather than praise Jesus’ action as a compassionate and miraculous, the synagogue leader is quick to criticize Jesus. The response of the synagogue leader reminds me of a wise phrase that I’ve heard a few times, that states “there are always excuses”. There will always be excuses that prevent me from using my time for the benefit and service of others, as there will always be excuses to sacrifice compassion for self-interest. There will always be excuses to ignore the message of Jesus, as there will always be an excuse that I can use to justify not visiting my grandmother in the nursing home. The busyness and speed of our modern lives fills our daily schedule with even more excuses that distract us from what is truly important in our lives. Not only are there excuses, but there are also criticisms. The life of Christ calls us to take actions that will make us both uncomfortable and unpopular. There remain many “crippled women” in the world today, many people that suffer tremendously and can use the service and healing that their fellow human beings can provide. The gospel reminds me to listen intently to the message of Christ in my daily life and avoid the excuses that will surely attempt to obstruct my path.