The man with the withered hand.

Monday, 910/18

With the Jews in Our Lord's time, it was thought to be unlawful to work a cure
on the Sabbath, so the Scribes and the Pharisees, anxious to find a violation of the
Law with which they could accuse Jesus, planted a man with a withered hand in
a Sabbath Day congregation. They were counting on Jesus  being too kind to
leave the man in his misery.

Back when I was thirteen, our neighborhood was so free of traffic, that we could
play ball in the street. There was a boy named Calvin whose eight hand was
withered from birth, and he would come to watch us play, but the boys usually
scared him off. He was so unsightly that we were scared him off, but sometimes
I felt sorry for him.

What I felt was nothing compared with the way Our Lord's heart went out to that man
in the synagogue. To be his followers our hearts must go out to the handicapped.