Then he said to the Pharisees,"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" (Mk 3:1-6)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012126.cfm
When the Pharisees refuse to answer, Jesus gets angry and sad. Many people are also angry when life is destroyed on our streets by so-called goverment agents, and many are sad to see neighbors living in fear. The Lord responds by healing the man with the withered hand, but the powerful plot to kill Jesus. Saint Agnes (291-304) is one of the many young women martyrs of the early church who confronted the evil power of the goverment. The bravery and faith of these young women have never been forgotten. https://youtu.be/E5zbSeINTLU?si=3eiC_4_AXfqGNUgd
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Agnes, virgin & martyr, January 21
