Grace Blogspot

Jesus expects something from us.  We may beat ourselves up about our inability to meet those expectations, but they are there nonetheless.  Jesus gave his very life for us.  Grace comes to us from God in freedom . . . . but there is a need for us to respond.  We respond in gratitude towards God for this undeserved gift.  Our response to God is shown most vividly in our love towardsw those whose lives are hardest . . . exactly as Jesus did.

Jesus moves into a different phase in today’s readings. He confronts. He does this in an aggressive fashion. He heals on the sabbath, people who were ill the day before, or would be still the next day, but he heals in the plain sight of everyone on the sabbath . . . . when you’re not supposed to work . . . . He proclaims himself the lord of the sabbath and goes on to bless the poor, hungry, weeping and the outcasts . . . while warning those who are thought well of in the community. What is Jesus saying to us? What cherished aspects of our faith or piety is Christ pushing aside? What in us is Christ blessing? What in us is Christ challenging?