There are some situations where rules are needed, and there are some times in life where the rules must give way to compassion. Believe it or not, it is sometimes much easier to live in a world where the rules are clearly defined; although the rebel in each one of us longs to be free of the rules, when these limits are not clearly defined, we end up in situations where confusion can easily prevail.
The world of rules was a very familiar place to the synagogue officials, but I wonder whether they recognized the fact that their insistence on following the rules actually closed them off from the warmth of compassion, replacing it rather with a cold and calculating outlook on life. Unfortunately, the attitudes that characterized the synagogue officials still exist today. Every one of us can sometimes find ourselves looking at life in that same way: we know the rules and it would be much easier to follow them than to try to navigate through them.
On the other hand, we see Jesus; every time we see the world through his eyes, we see things differently. When we look with compassion, our hard hearts are softened and we are able to see the men and women of our times who are crippled and in need of assistance (cf Mk 3:1). Today, let us ask Jesus to grant us the grace of softened hearts so that we can see the world through his eyes.
Have a great day.
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