Daily Devotional for May 26

 

May 26                                                             Luke 14:1-11

He came and sat among his enemies on the Sabbath to eat
bread. They would not let him eat in comfort. They had to
confront him. They watched him closely. He was on public
display even on the day of rest. They hoped he would do
something shocking. Purposely, it would seem, in order to test
him, they placed a man suffering from dropsy directly in front
of him. They held their breath to see what he would do, since
he was so intent on his healing ministry. It was as if they had
invited a physician into a hospital in order to criticize his
commitment to healing.

He refused their demand for conformity to the law of the
Sabbath. He reached out, touched the man, and healed him.
He would not bow to public pressure or censure. He com-
mitted himself to love in action. They could make no reply.
When confronted with such love, confidence, and integrity,
there was no satisfactory answer but silence.

How does one stand firm in the face of hostility, simply being
who one is and acting with integrity, in love, toward those
who suffer? How can one act in confidence and humility when
under attack from the "morally" aggressive? How did he
maintain his balance while they watched him so closely?

Perhaps it was by always taking the lowest place. He had no
pretensions to power. He sought no place of honor. He claimed
no allies in positions of authority. He walked with the poor
in spirit, the outcast and beggar. His confidence lay in his
refusal to seek the praise of his contemporaries. Humility was
the cloak of his perfection. Its silence evoked no reply.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.198