Reflection for October 31 Friday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:1-6

Gospel: Luke 14:1-6

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”

But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

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Reflection:

What is the true purpose of the Sabbath law? It is to bring honor to God by resting and refraining from worldly pursuits on that sacred day. But what if, on that very day, someone is in need of our help? Should we ignore that person simply because it is a day of rest?

In our Gospel, Jesus asked the scholars of the law and the Pharisees a simple yet piercing question: “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” (Luke 14:3). When He received no reply, Jesus quietly healed the man who was sick with dropsy. Through this compassionate act, Jesus revealed a powerful truth — that mercy, love, and healing hold far greater value than the mere observance of the law. The immediate need of a suffering person takes precedence over strict religious rules.

As we reflect on this, we are invited to look into our own lives. How often do we prioritize rituals over relationships, or rules over compassion? We may have our prayer schedules, our devotions, or our Sunday Mass obligations — all of which are holy and pleasing to God. Yet, when someone around us needs our help, God calls us to respond first with mercy. Our worship of God must always be expressed through our love for others.

Acts of mercy are not interruptions to our faith; they are the living expression of it. To love and to serve is to pray with our hands, our hearts, and our very lives.

This is the kind of faith we see in Pope Francis (+). He is deeply admired, not because of his outward religious appearances — presiding at Mass, praying the Rosary, or wearing sacred vestments — but because of his spontaneous acts of love, mercy, and humility. His gentle embrace of the disfigured, his kind and non-judgmental words, and his countless acts of compassion reflect the heart of Christ more vividly than any ritual ever could.

We, too, are called to live out a faith that breathes mercy — a faith that moves from the altar into the streets, from prayer into action, from words into love.

So, as we encounter others in need, will we merely observe the law — or will we choose to live the love that fulfills it? — Marino J. Dasmarinas