10/27/2025 (Monday) Today’s Gospel reading: Luke 13:10-17

10 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
11 And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”
13 He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.”
15 The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering?
16 This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?”
17 When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

10/27/2025 (Monday) Today’s Gospel reflection / homily / sermon: Luke 13:10-17

We live in a world where people are burdened by invisible weights such as stress, guilt, rejection, and the relentless pace of life. Many people find themselves walking through their days “bent over,” not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. The Gospel reading above tells us about a woman who had been crippled for eighteen long years until Jesus noticed her, called her forward, and set her free. Her story is more than a miracle of healing; it’s a reminder that God sees us in our brokenness and that true restoration begins when we allow Him to touch the parts of our lives that have long been paralyzed by pain or fear.

Today, there are countless people who live with unseen burdens. Imagine a single mother working two jobs to keep her family afloat, her spirit weighed down by exhaustion and loneliness. Or a young professional who smiles at meetings but silently wrestles with anxiety and self-doubt. They, like the woman in the story, may not even ask for help yet the eyes of Jesus never miss them. He calls out to those who feel forgotten, not with judgment, but with compassion. His invitation is gentle but powerful: “Come forward.” It is an invitation to step out from the shadows of shame and step into the light of grace.

One of the most striking lessons in this story is how Jesus chose compassion over convention. He healed the woman on the Sabbath, a day when religious leaders prioritized rules over relationships. This act of defiance wasn’t rebellion for its own sake; it was love in action. In our time, this same message challenges us to place people over policies, mercy over pride, and love over legalism. For instance, a church may hold strict traditions, but if those traditions keep it from welcoming the broken or helping the poor, then the spirit of compassion is lost. Christ reminds us that faith is not about preserving rituals but about restoring lives.

Modern life can make us rigid in our own ways. Sometimes we cling to routines, expectations, or judgments that prevent us from seeing others with empathy. Like the leaders who criticized Jesus, we might focus so much on being “right” that we forget to be kind. Yet every time we choose to listen to someone’s story before offering our opinion, every time we forgive instead of retaliate, and every time we extend a helping hand when it’s inconvenient, we mirror the compassion of Christ.

The healing of the bent woman also symbolizes the lifting of spirits weighed down by years of discouragement. There are people who carry the wounds of the past so heavily that they can no longer see beyond their pain. But when they encounter God’s love, perhaps through a friend’s encouragement, a moment of prayer, or even a stranger’s kindness, they begin to stand tall again. Their posture of despair is replaced by one of hope.

Imagine a man who has battled addiction for years finally walking into a recovery meeting, trembling but determined. Or an elderly woman who has stopped believing that life still holds purpose, suddenly finding new meaning through serving in her community. These are modern-day pictures of the same miracle — the power of Jesus to straighten what has long been bent.

When Jesus restored the woman, she immediately praised God. Gratitude was her first response. True healing always leads to worship, not because all problems vanish, but because the heart finally realizes that freedom is possible. In our own lives, every time God lifts us from anxiety, bitterness, or hopelessness, our natural response should be to give thanks, to celebrate the grace that saw us when no one else did.

The story ends with the crowd rejoicing and the critics silenced. Love triumphed over law, and compassion over condemnation. In every generation, this remains the challenge for believers: to be people who lift others up instead of weighing them down.

So if you feel bent by the burdens of life today, remember this: God still notices. His touch can restore your strength, and His voice still calls you to stand tall. When you do, your life becomes a testimony of what happens when grace meets perseverance, when divine compassion meets human need. And just like that woman long ago, you too can walk upright, praising God with every step you take toward freedom.

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