Daily Catholic Lectio
Friday, 3 November 2023
Friday of the Thirtieth Week of the Year
Romans 9:1-5. Luke 14:1-6
Exception is a rule!
“A person who realises that exception is a rule as well will continue to do good despite bad circumstances.”
Jesus, who dines at a Pharisee’s house on a Sabbath day, heals a person suffering from dropsy. The healing miracle acts as a pedagogic event, whereby Jesus instructs that exceptions concerning the Sabbath could be treated as rules. Dropsy, from ‘hydropsy’ (‘hydra’ refers to hydrogen, water), creates a condition in a body where water collects into tissues. The hands and legs will be swollen. Though not easily recognisable, Jesus recognised the person who suffers from this disease.
Wherever Jesus went, he became the Master of that place. Sabbath, banquet of the Pharisee, the guests could not stop him from doing good (cf. Acts 10:38). He always did the good that he wanted to do. Though Jesus was convinced that the Sabbath was not a hindrance to doing good, he wanted his stakeholders, the Pharisees, to own his project. He posed a question to them: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” They did not reply. After healing the person, Jesus posed another question: “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” Now, the Pharisees could not reply.
The event gives us three life lessons:
(a) Every exception is a rule! Every rule has an exception. And every exception becomes a rule in each context. Jesus, though he knew that the Sabbath was the rule, was aware of the exceptions that could be used to do good. Doing good need not be curtailed by rules and regulations.
(b) Master mindset. Jesus, in all circumstances, possessed the Master mindset. A Master changes the situation according to his favour; a Slave changes himself according to the situation. The Master mindset has the potential to do good, while the Slave mindset is easily drawn into the situation. The Master does what he wants to do; the Slave does what others want him to do. The Master pleases himself; the Slave pleases others. Jesus drew the dropsy-afflicted man from the well (from the disease of water) because He was the Master of the situation.
(c) Getting rid of our self-limiting beliefs. Often, we set limits on our own potential. But human potential is limitless. No religion, ideology, ritual, or society can control this. To get rid of our self-limiting beliefs, we must let go of our self-doubts. A person who has self-doubt lets someone else decide for him. Jesus did not give space for the Pharisees to decide for him. He decided on his own what he wanted to do. Jesus did not want to please his enemies. He knew that pleasing them would do him no good. The good and the bad are defined by the situation. Hence, we must get rid of our self-limiting beliefs.
In the first reading, Paul feels great sorrow that the people of Israel failed to recognise Jesus as the Christ (the Messiah). The Jewish people were bound by their limits, while Paul surpassed all the limits and accepted Jesus as Christ.
“A person who realises that exception is a rule as well will continue to do good despite bad circumstances.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting on the common good, says, “The common good is possible only through participation that is voluntary and generous … participation emerges from personal responsibility” (cf. nn. 1913-1917).
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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