20261026 MOTIVATED BY LOVE, OR LAW, OR LAWLESSNESS
26 October 2026, Monday, 30th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ephesians 4:32-5:8 |
Follow Christ by loving as he loved you
Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.
Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints! There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes – all this is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity – which is worshipping a false god – can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them. You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 1:1-4,6 |
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Try to imitate God, as children of his that he loves.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 13:10-17 |
Was it not right to untie this woman's bonds on the sabbath day?
One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.
But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
MOTIVATED BY LOVE, OR LAW, OR LAWLESSNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ephesians 4:32-5:8; Ps 1:1-4,6; Luke 13:10-17]
How should we live our lives? Basically, the world can be divided into three classes of people. First, there are those who live a life of lawlessness. Such people live only for themselves, seeking pleasure and self-indulgence. One manifestation of this mindset is living a promiscuous life. They worship false gods, believing that self-indulgence will make them happy, and end up addicted to their passions. This was the case for the people in St. Paul’s time: “Among you there must be not even a mention of fornication or impurity in any of its forms, or promiscuity: this would hardly become the saints! There must be no coarseness, or salacious talk and jokes.”
Deep in their hearts, however, there is no peace or real joy. When there is no true love–only pure selfishness–how can there be peace? St. Paul makes this clear: “For you can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity – which is worshipping a false god – can inherit anything of the kingdom of God.” It is all a pretence. Their laughter and apparent happiness are empty and shallow–merely a show to suppress their loneliness, emptiness, anger, and resentment. We might try to rationalise what we do and justify our actions, but we know our conscience continues to reprimand us. That is why St. Paul cautions us: “Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments.”
These feelings of anger and a lack of peace and fulfilment are in themselves the punishment for their sins. As St. Augustine says, “The punishment for iniquity is iniquity.” St. Paul writes in the same vein: “It is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him.” When we sin, we do not only hurt God and those around us; ultimately, we hurt ourselves. We gradually destroy ourselves by sinking deeper into sin until our conscience becomes seared. In that state, no one can save us–not even God–as the Lord warned: “Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Mt 12:31-32)
At the other end of the spectrum are those who live strictly by the law. They seek to do the right thing, loving the law and seeing it as good: “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation.” (Ps 119:97-99)
They truly desire to live a righteous life. They teach the law and encourage obedience to it, as Moses commanded: “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Dt 6:7-9)
They believe in the goodness and wisdom of the law, echoing the psalmist in the responsorial psalm: “Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law, day and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”
Indeed, it is not wrong to live in this manner, provided we observe the law in spirit and in truth. In doing so, we find that the law is not oppressive, but liberating.
Yet we also know that we fall far short of living up to the ideal of the law. We must learn to accept our limitations and sinfulness. St. Paul asked: “Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore, the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal 3:21-24) Thus, it is faith in Christ that saves us, not the law, for we will always fall short of fulfilling the law on our own.
The crux of the problem is that many of us who advocate for the law pretend that we observe it perfectly ourselves. This is where hypocrisy creeps in. It is one thing to teach the law as an ideal to be attained and as a guide to authentic Christian living; it is quite another to presume that anyone can live up to it perfectly. When we behave as though we are perfect in observing the law–like the scribes and Pharisees–we deny the truth about ourselves.
Our pride and ego refuse to accept that we are sinners. This denial leads us to live under the illusion of perfection, making us harsh when judging others who fail. Unable to confront our own weaknesses, we cover them up by finding fault with those who break the law. Instead of examining our own conscience, we fixate on others to avoid looking at ourselves.
This was the case with the synagogue official. He placed himself above those who broke the law, remaining judgemental and unfeeling toward someone in real need. He spoke nonchalantly: he “was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days,’ he said, ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath.'”
He could speak so coldly because the woman meant nothing to him. He was consumed by pride in maintaining the law. As an official of the synagogue, his duty was to enforce compliance at all times, so he was annoyed that Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Knowing he could not directly fault Jesus, he addressed the crowd instead.
Is this not how we often act toward those who break the law? We apply rules clinically, ignoring the specific person, their situation, and their circumstances. We apply the law harshly because we are not the ones affected. But what if it were us or our loved ones? When it involves those close to us, we quickly justify our actions and soften the rules. We disconnect ourselves from others whenever we are not the ones suffering the consequences.
That is why the Lord reprimanded him, saying: “Hypocrites! Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the Sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the Sabbath day?”
The difference between human justice and God’s justice is that God considers the person, not just the law. Charity and love are the ultimate truth and law. The focus must always be the good of the person, not the mechanical observance of laws: the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Relieving a person’s suffering is far more important than observing a Sabbath prohibition against work–especially when it is an act of charity with no material gain.
Hence, when the Lord saw the woman “who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright,” Jesus “called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.”
Today, we are invited to imitate Christ in how we observe both the law and the principle of love. As St. Paul wrote: “Try, then, to imitate God as children of his that he loves and follow Christ loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.” This is the ultimate law of love. Putting others before self should motivate everything we do. This includes loving even those who oppose us, as St. Paul says: “Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.” In doing so, we walk as children of light rather than darkness: “You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
