Daily Gospel reflections, Catholic prayers, saints and readings to help you grow closer to Christ.
Luke 13:10-17
Jesus sees the woman who has been bent over for eighteen years and restores her dignity in the midst of the crowd. Her healing invites us to notice who is weighed down—and to make room for mercy.
Read moreThe celebration the Church keeps on this day in the liturgical calendar.
Read moreInspired by Luke 13:10-17
A short prayer drawn from today’s Gospel reflection.
Read morePsalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
The psalm the Church prays at Mass today, with the full readings linked from the Daily Gospel.
Read moreLuke 13:10-17
Jesus sees the woman who has been bent over for eighteen years and restores her dignity in the midst of the crowd. Her healing invites us to notice who is weighed down—and to make room for mercy.
In the synagogue, Jesus notices a woman whom others may have learned not to see. She has been bent over for eighteen years, unable to stand upright. While the people gather for worship, she is there too, carrying a burden visible in her body and, perhaps, in the way she must move through the world. Jesus calls her forward. Before the crowd, he speaks to her, lays hands on her, and she straightens up and gives glory to God.
The scene is tender, but it is not quiet. A synagogue leader objects because the healing has happened on the Sabbath. His concern about the day’s observance leads him to rebuke the people rather than rejoice with the woman. Jesus answers by pointing to the ordinary care people give their animals even on the Sabbath. If such care is fitting, he says, how much more fitting is it to release this daughter of Abraham from what has bound her.
Read the full reflection
