Our Lord chooses today to work a miracle in the synagogue amidst all the leaders of the people,
and indeed, it was a most extraordinary miracle, for when we hear that term,
a man was either suffering of a palsy or of a shriveled-up limb,
it is clearly to be understood that word translated shriveled would have been destroyed,
and so it was a man who either had a large portion of his arm missing,
or because of an injury, or from a defect of birth, it had shriveled up.
Indeed, it was useless.
It was useless as one who has a palsy, and so our Lord will truly work an extraordinary miracle this day,
for before the eyes of the Pharisees and scribes and all the people gathered,
a limb would grow where one was not, or one that was completely shriveled up was restored to the full vigor,
and so our Lord wished by this miracle to demonstrate to the Pharisees and the scribes and all the people
that he was truly the Messiah, and so when they were able to see him,
they remained silent, he asked them a most important question,
is it permitted to do a good deed on the Sabbath, or an evil one,
thereby showing them that if one suspends charity during the Sabbath,
then they do not sanctify the Sabbath, indeed, they make of the Sabbath an evil thing,
and the Pharisees and the scribes knew that his miracle was very proof of what he said,
and so he sought to preserve the life of the man because he is always working,
the salvation of our souls, and it was precisely this day that was ordained
for this man with the shriveled arm to be brought to a greater faith,
to a greater understanding that this Christ truly was the Messiah,
come to suffer and die for his people, and indeed, after he worked this charitable act
and restored the faith of the man, the Pharisees and the scribes' reaction was to remain silent,
to which Jesus, as scripture says, became angry, but unlike our anger,
that often gets carried away, his was a zealous anger because he was saddened
that they did not accept all those signs and all those wonders that he would work,
and so he would merely try again to bring them to their senses
because Christ is always working for salvation, always working for conversion,
but the Pharisees and the scribes would go out and then plot with the Herodians
in order to bring down because,
they did not want the Messiah ultimately.
They wanted things according to their own mind and according to their own disposition,
and so, by creating laws of men, they laid heavy burdens on the people,
those burdens that the Lord himself would come to deliver us from by restoring us
through the grace we received through his holy sacrifice on Mount Calvary,
and so, ultimately, this is a call of our Lord to each and every member
of the mystical people, and so, ultimately, this is a call of our Lord to each and every member of the mystical people,
and so, ultimately, this is a call of our Lord to each and every member of the mystical people,
so that we come to understand the nature of suffering and what we are called to do for Christ,
for if we do all things according to his mind and according to his will,
then we contribute to the salvation of men,
which was the mission our Lord had received from his Father,
and so, let us not remain silent as to the presence of Christ in our life
and as to his presence in the mystical body,
but let us, as St. Paul says, be willing to preach the gospel
in season and out of season, by all our thoughts, all our words, and all our actions,
so that in some way we can bring this modern world with all its Pharisees and scribes
to a sense that this Christ truly was unique, this Christ truly was different,
because he was the God-man, he is truly the Messiah, come to deliver us from our sins,
and truly is the Son of God who came not in order to destroy, but in order to restore.
And in restoring the shriveled arm of the man, he points that he wishes to restore each and every one of us
to that relationship that our first parents had with the Father.
So by our baptism, we truly become adopted sons of God, and hence capable of doing the works of Christ.
And so, let us strive always through the sacramental life,
the life of the church, and praying constantly for our needs,
let us strive always to manifest that life of Christ that we first received in baptism,
and that life that increases each and every time we do a good work in accord with the will of God.
And so, it is always permitted to do a good deed, that is, our Lord is telling us,
it is not only permitted, but it is necessary for every member of the mystical body
to seek, to strive, to exercise.
That virtue of charity in all things.
Indeed, St. Augustine would tell us, if we do not feed the poor,
if we do not feed the hungry, then we are causing their death by starvation.
He also points out that if we knew a robber was about to assail our enemy,
we did nothing to prevent it, and the robber killed our enemy in the process,
then we are as guilty of the murder as the robber himself,
because we could have.
We could have.
We could have by putting our own life on the line,
perhaps saved him from the peril that he was about to undergo.
And so, we will have much opportunity in this life to exercise charity,
in little things, in some times, and in big things.
Let us always be strengthened, knowing that even if we are called to exercise
that ultimate form of charity by which we are to give our lives up
in a modest death like St. Sebastian, whom we honor this day,
let us always remember that we are not alone.
Let us always remember that we are not alone.
Let us always remember that we are not alone.
Let us always remember that we are not alone.
Let us always remember that we are not alone.
Let us always remember giving our life up in this world
only means we take it up for all eternity in the world to come.
And ultimately, that is what our Lord came to give to each and every member of the human race.
The leaders of the people signified by the Pharisees and scribes
and all those that were gathered in the synagogue this day
in order to see the power of God worked on the man
so that his arm was restored, but more importantly,
that his soul was restored.
His soul was saved because his faith in Christ was strengthened.
And so, let us always seek to strive to strengthen our faith in Christ
so that we truly may enter into that mystery of our incorporation into his body
so that we may take up our joy in him for all eternity in the life to come.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.