Homily for the Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

In today's Gospel story, Jesus sensed that His enemies were setting a trap to portray Him in a negative light. Present with them was a man with a paralyzed hand, and they hoped that Jesus would break the Sabbath law by healing him and be seen as a lawbreaker. According to their strict interpretation of Sabbath observance, no work, not even healing, should be done on that holy day. They believed in rigidly adhering to rules without considering the circumstances. However, Jesus' compassionate nature could not be constrained by such legalistic views.

It is easy to concoct reasons for not doing the right thing, such as it being the wrong day of the week to seek help, fear of supporting the unemployed or disabled, or hesitation in confronting a powerful wrongdoer. Some people even find reasons to explain why God should not be generous. 

As a people of faith, we are called to recognize that Jesus often went against convention in order to do the will of His Father on earth. In following Jesus, we too will find ourselves in conflict with others. Let us pray that we may have the courage and determination to follow His example in our continuation of His mission.