Readings:
Romans 9:1-5
Luke 14:1-6
Reflection
The 19th-century Danish philosopher Kierkegaard said that “human beings long for a purely legal relationship with God; they would then know how to keep God behind a line, at arm’s length, in a place apart: in other words, out of their lives. But this kind of relationship is not possible, for God is a loving Father.” If the relationship were legal, it would also be safe. We would know exactly where God ends and where we begin. We could keep God politely at arm’s length, reverenced, perhaps, but uninvolved.
That is what’s happening in today’s Gospel. The Pharisees are comfortable with a God contained within the Sabbath law, a God who can be managed, defined, and kept in His proper place. But when Jesus heals the man with dropsy, He breaks through that neat arrangement. He reminds them (and us) that love cannot be legislated. God refuses to stay behind the lines we draw.
Sometimes, we too prefer a faith that is tidy and predictable, Mass on Sundays, prayers at set times, charity when convenient. But the Gospel keeps spilling over our boundaries. The God of Jesus steps into our messy schedules, our complicated relationships, our unplanned interruptions, and says, “This too is holy ground.”
Because God is not a judge standing behind a line; He is a Father stepping across it, reaching into our suffering, healing, and drawing us into the untidy work of love.
Giltus Mathias CP is a Passionist priest, living at St Brigid’s, Marrickville.