A Withered Hand at Worship

On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely . . .

“Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. (Lk 6:6-11)

I know it was the Sabbath and they were all angry at Jesus breaking the letter of the Sabbath law.  But I think there is something else going on here.  They weren’t just thinking in a kind of letter-of-the-law way. They were enraged.  Another translation says they were filled with fury.  This is hugely emotional.  What could cause them to get so hot?

I was in church the other day and I found myself distracted by a mother and her son who were sitting across the church, behind the glass wall, in the blessed sacrament chapel.  Mass was going on.  The son was a young adult, severely handicapped and sitting in a wheelchair.  The mother was extremely attentive to her son.  His chair was part of the normal row of chairs and she pulled a chair next to him, in the aisle.  He had a perfect view of the altar from his seat.  Her love for him was as unabashed as a flashing billboard in Times Square.  Her love was a powerful judgment for every mom who had been impatient with her own children.

During the readings the mom reached into her purse and took something out.  I was too far away to see exactly what it was.  Then I knew; she began to give her son a manicure.  She trimmed his fingernails with a clipper and cleaned under them with a nail file.  She was gentle and efficient.

I found myself getting annoyed with her.  Couldn’t she find a better time for a manicure?  Doesn’t she understand what mass is all about?  I bet she missed the entire first reading.  Maybe the second one too.  Maybe she was distracting her son from the readings.

And there I was, a character in the scriptures: the scribes and the Pharisees watched her closely. 

I love my parish.  One of the things is that I do see people with profound handicaps at mass.  I’m glad their families feel welcome here.  It makes the community more complete.  I need the witness of parents who have this big love.

So let the manicures continue.  Let the special sons and daughters moan or mutter or wander.  Let it be like the scene from Brother Sun, Sister Moon when mass happens outdoors with the animals milling around with the people.  Let people come together any way they can and belong together, sit together, sing together and be fed.  And let the Pharisees and scribes relax and put compassion before orthodoxy.