The daily Word of God
Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025
Wednesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time or Saint Vincent, Deacon, Martyr
Mark 3:1-6 "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?"
First Reading: Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17
Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,
met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings
and blessed him.
And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also "king of Salem," that is, king of peace.
Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R./ You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R./ You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R./ You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R./ You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R./ You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
Gospel Reading: Mark 3:1-6
Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.
Once again, we encounter the same story: a sick man, the presence of Jesus, and the others—the Pharisees, the scribes, and all those who cared far more about the law than anything else—closely watching every step, gesture, and word of Jesus, hoping to catch Him making a mistake. Too many people were following Jesus, and His message was revolutionary simply because, instead of focusing on the law, He focused on the well-being of people. And that was dangerous, as it had the potential to disrupt the social order.
It seems like Jesus is already tired of being constantly watched and scrutinized. There’s a phrase in today’s Gospel that truly stands out and even gives us a different image of Jesus than we’re used to: the text says that Jesus looked around “with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.” Jesus, angry. Jesus, frustrated. Jesus, who has seemingly run out of ways to convince the Pharisees and scribes that what He is doing is the very essence of what God does: setting aside the obsession with laws and rules to focus solely on the well-being of His sons and daughters. And, having no more arguments to give, Jesus does what truly matters: He heals the man with the withered hand and restores his life.
A man with a paralyzed hand couldn’t work, couldn’t feed his family or himself. He was forced to live on the margins and survive by begging. So, Jesus does much more than heal his hand—He restores his humanity and his dignity.
As followers of Jesus, we must always remember that, for Him, the well-being of people was far more important than the strict observance of rules. While some might make a big issue out of whether communion should be received in the hand or on the tongue, or whether one should kneel during the consecration, we must remember that the real priority is to save people, to build fraternity and justice, and to open our hands to share what we have. This is what truly matters. The other things may be worth discussing; there can be a diversity of opinions on them. But what is essential is non-negotiable. And it should be our primary concern.
Fernando Torres, cmf
