12 January 2027 · Syro-Malankara Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Latin Rite · Syro-Malabar Rite · മലയാളം
“For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Paul describes his ministry as pure light: “we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.” The same God who said at creation, “Let light shine out of darkness”, has shone in our hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” In Denho we contemplate that face: the glory of God is not far away but shines in a human face.
In the synagogue a man with a withered hand is placed before Jesus as a test: is it lawful to cure on the sabbath? Jesus answers: you would lift your sheep out of a pit; “How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” He says, “Stretch out your hand,” and it is restored. Today we remember Mar Thevodosios the Abbot, who built monasteries with houses for the sick, the old and the poor beside them: prayer and works of mercy in one place. We pray for Bishop Yoohanon Mar Theodosius on his name day.
Theme: “It is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”
The light of God's glory in Christ's face, shining through works of mercy.
“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” Genesis 1:3
“For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6
Apply: Spend a few minutes before an icon of Christ today.
“Thus says the LORD: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth;” Jeremiah 9:23
“For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5
Apply: Speak of Christ rather than yourself in one conversation.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
“How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”” Matthew 12:12
Apply: Do one work of mercy this Sunday.
God's light shines in Christ's face and through our deeds.
Prayer and mercy belong together, as Mar Thevodosios showed.
Take-home resolution: Make next Sunday a day of worship and mercy.
Dear friends, Paul says: we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). The minister is a window, not a picture.
The same God who said at creation, let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). In Denho we gaze at that face.
In the Gospel, they watch to see if Jesus will heal on the sabbath. He asks: which of you would not lift a sheep out of a pit? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath (Matthew 12:12). He heals the withered hand.
Mar Thevodosios the Abbot built houses for the sick, the old and the poor beside his monastery. Prayer and mercy belong together. Let our Sundays be days of both. Amen.
Children, Jesus healed a man's hand on God's day. Sunday is a good day to help someone! Whom will you help this Sunday?
God of light, you said “Let light shine out of darkness” and shone in our hearts in the face of Jesus. Let us proclaim him, not ourselves, and stretch out our hands to do good. Through the prayers of Mar Thevodosios, unite prayer and mercy in our lives. Amen.
In the season of Denho, Paul tells us where to look for God's glory: “in the face of Jesus Christ”. In the Gospel that same face turns to a man with a withered hand, on the sabbath, in a synagogue. The glory of God and care for a suffering human being are not two subjects. Mar Thevodosios, remembered today, joined the two in his monastic life.
Setting.
In 2:14–7:4 Paul defends his ministry to a Church that doubts him. He has just compared the new covenant with the old, using the veil on Moses' face (3:12–18). Now he carries the picture on: unveiled truth, the light of the gospel, and a face that shines.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“We have renounced the shameful things that one hides;” (4:2)
A word for preachers and teachers. There is no trick in the gospel, nor any need to bend the word to win people.
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,” (4:4)
“The god of this world” is the Evil One (compare John 12:31), and Paul is not speaking of a second god. He gives no list of who these people are. The verse teaches that the failure to see can have a cause greater than a person's own mind.
“For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.” (4:5)
“Jesus is Lord” is the Church's oldest creed (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).
“it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (4:6)
Paul recalls Genesis 1:3. Baptism and faith are a new creation, the first day over again. Many scholars also hear an echo of Paul's own experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism begins its teaching on human dignity from Christ, the image of the invisible God, in whom we see who we are (CCC 1701, citing this verse). It describes the ministry of the Church as service: those who are ordained are “slaves of Christ”, in the image of him who freely took the form of a slave for us (CCC 876).
Setting.
This is the second sabbath dispute in a row. Just before this the disciples plucked grain (12:1–8). The sabbath was a great gift to Israel, a day of rest and joy kept by God's command (Exodus 20:8–11). Jewish teachers of the time discussed in earnest what it allowed, and later rabbinic law held that saving a life overrides the sabbath (Mishnah Yoma 8:6). So this is a debate within Judaism, among people who loved the sabbath, Jesus among them.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
““Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?” (12:11)
Jesus appeals to the plain sense of his hearers. Not everyone agreed: the Qumran community's Damascus Document forbids lifting an animal from a pit on the sabbath, which shows that such cases were really discussed.
“How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”” (12:12)
Jesus changes the question from “what may I not do?” to “what good can I do?”.
“Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.” (12:13)
He does no work with his hands, not even a touch. A word, and the man's obedience. St Jerome records that a Gospel used by Jewish Christians of his time called this man a mason who begged for healing so that he need not beg for bread (in substance).
“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.” (12:14)
Matthew speaks of those present on that day, not of all Pharisees and certainly not of the Jewish people. Nicodemus, himself a Pharisee, became a disciple in secret (CCC 595).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism says that Jesus never fails to respect the holiness of the sabbath, gives it its authentic interpretation, and declares it a day for doing good (CCC 2173). The Christian Sunday carries on that spirit: works of mercy and care for the sick and the poor are part of keeping it (CCC 2184–2186). On the disputes of Jesus with some teachers of the Law, the Church warns against blaming the Jewish people (CCC 595–597).
Today we remember Mar Thevodosios the Abbot, who built a great monastery near Bethlehem, with houses beside it for the sick, the old and the poor. Prayer and care for the suffering stood side by side, just as they do in today's readings. The man with the withered hand was healed in a house of prayer.