Is It Lawful to Do Good?

Where We Are

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time. The evangelist Luke continues the Sabbath controversies with a second confrontation: Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The Pharisees and scribes are watching closely, looking for a reason to accuse him. But Jesus does not hide. He forces the question into the open, calling the man to stand in the middle of the assembly. He asks them directly: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?" Paul addresses a moral crisis in the Corinthian community.

The Word

On another Sabbath, Jesus teaches in the synagogue where a man with a withered right hand is present. The scribes and Pharisees watch to see if Jesus will heal on the Sabbath, "so that they might find an accusation against him." Jesus, knowing their thoughts, says to the man: "Rise up and stand in the middle." Then to the Pharisees: "I ask you: is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?" He looks around at them all and tells the man: "Extend your hand." It is restored. "They were filled with madness" (Luke 6:11).

Today's Full Readings

First Reading — 1 Corinthians 5:1-8

Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 5:5-6, 7, 12

Gospel — Luke 6:6-11

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Reflect

Jesus's question is brilliant because it reframes the debate. The Pharisees' question is: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Jesus's question is: "Is it lawful to do good or evil?" By standing a suffering man in the middle of the synagogue and asking whether goodness has a day off, Jesus makes the Pharisees' position indefensible.

The answer is obvious: of course it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. And if doing good is lawful, then refusing to do good when you have the power is itself a form of evil. The Pharisees' rule about healing on the Sabbath is not protecting holiness; it is enabling suffering.

Luke notes that the Pharisees "were filled with madness." This is a strong word. They are not just annoyed; they are enraged. Why? Because Jesus has exposed the hypocrisy of their system publicly. When your rules are shown to cause harm rather than prevent it, the natural response is either repentance or rage. They choose rage.

Jesus tells the man to "rise up and stand in the middle." This is not just about physical healing; it is about dignity. The man has been marginalized, possibly kept at the edges of the synagogue because of his disability. Jesus calls him to the center. In God's kingdom, the marginalized are centered.

Paul's dealing with the Corinthian moral crisis parallels this: the community must not tolerate evil while claiming to be holy. Goodness is not optional on any day.

Living It

Where do your rules or routines prevent you from doing good? Is there a rigid habit, a time constraint, or a social convention that stops you from showing mercy when the opportunity arises? Jesus did not wait for a more convenient day to heal. He acted when the need was before him.

Center someone today who is usually at the margins. Like Jesus calling the man with the withered hand to the middle of the room, draw attention to someone who is usually overlooked. Give them your time, your eye contact, your full presence.

Do good today, regardless of whether it is convenient. Do not wait for the perfect day or the perfect situation. Goodness does not take days off, and mercy never asks permission from the calendar.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you asked a question that still challenges us: Is it lawful to do good or to do evil? The answer is obvious, but we still find excuses not to act. Break through our excuses. Center the marginalized. Heal what is withered in us. And fill us not with madness but with your compassion. Amen.

Today's reflection draws from Luke 6:6-11 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 (CPDV), per the Ordo Lectionum Missae.