The Gospel of Mark 3: 1-6 (daily gospel for January 19, 2022)
"Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death."
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Tell me, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”
Because that question right there begs me to point out why we need to change our perspective on the Pandemic.
Wearing a mask in public and areas of high transmission does "save life rather than destroy it" by slowing the spread of an airborne virus. Refusing to do such as a matter of personal constitutional liberty places a false God ahead of Jesus.
Taking a vaccine approved by the Catholic Center for Bioethics, The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Congregation On the Doctrine of the Faith, and publically promoted by the Pope does, in fact, "save life rather than to destroy it." Not doing so when you're eligible, removes Charity and Mercy from the individual's actions.
A HUGE section of my brothers and sisters are being Pharisees and Herodians.
I can see why Jesus looked at them with anger and grieved at the hardness of their hearts. I find myself doing the same.
Many of my brothers and sisters in faith are choosing to be angry about those of us trying to save lives via completely reasonable measures. But they have grown hearts of stone by worshiping at false altars of tribalism and partisanship.
So forgive me for NOT twisting Jesus' words here. My agenda is adamantly to promote and save life. #getvaccinated and #boosted
P.s. all the above official Chuch entities are more authoritative than a misinformed opinion by a pundit on EWTN, Lifesite, or others of that ilk; or the right-wing extremist media telling me that I've got Jesus all wrong. Ahem...Jesus was pretty clear in this Gospel.
Peace.
Matt
