Feria on Monday - it is not enough to follow the rules.

Dear Fathers, Friends in Christ, 

'Beyond the Rules' 

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!" 
Luke 13:14-15 

Maybe the leader of the synagogue was trying to call Jesus out on a technicality here. But the sabbath was also serious business. Those who observed Jewish law closely felt that Jesus was making a mockery of it. If he was a great spiritual leader, why would he break the rules?

Jesus understood that laws are the beginning of morality, not the end. It's not enough to follow the rules. We must also prayerfully consider what God is asking from us in every situation. As followers of Jesus, we must bear in mind his command to love and serve one another. He called us to reach out to those in need, especially the hurt, the poor and the vulnerable--just as he did when he healed the woman in this story. 

Father Ed Bakker, 
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province 
Bendigo in the Central Goldfields, 
Australia