Today’s readings speak of the freedom that we can receive from God: a freedom that restores and redeems. In today’s first reading St. Paul reminds us that we are not bound by the flesh or by fear. Instead, we have received a spirit of adoption. A spirit that calls us not slaves, but children of God. This identity changes everything. When we live by the Spirit, we are no longer defined by our weaknesses or limitations. We receive the courage to cry out “Abba!”. This theme of freedom continues in the Gospel reading. Jesus heals a woman who had been suffering for many years. Though others see a Sabbath rule being broken, Jesus sees a daughter of Abraham, being bent and crippled, who deserves to be set free. The healing she receives is not just physical but spiritual, and she stands upright and glorifies God. How often are we bent over by fear, shame, spiritual fatigue and bondage? Jesus desires to touch those bent and crooked areas and say, “You are set free.”

PRAYER: Abba Father, heal what is crippled and bent within me so that I can stand upright in your freedom. Amen.