The opening verse in today's Gospel tells us that the Pharisees had taken the offensive. They were against what Jesus had done earlier (Mt. 12:1-13). Far from admitting that He had done wrong and that the Pharisees were correct, Jesus accused them of paying more attention to the letter rather than the spirit of the Law; that they cared more for the life of an animal than that of a human being.

But was Jesus intimidated by the Pharisees? No! He continued to heal the sick. As God had spoken through Prophet Isaiah (Is. 12:18-21), the 'chosen servant' on whom God's spirit rested would fulfill God's will. He would be gentle to the weak and kind to the helpless. He would persevere to promote justice and to see it triumph. He would be the hope of all humankind.

As followers of Jesus, we too must serve God the Father as Jesus did. We too are chosen by God. We too are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do God's work, to proclaim love and justice, to be gentle and loving to the weak and helpless - the marginalized in our society. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we too must endeavour to rectify the injustices that we encounter in our daily lives. Jesus showed the way. As His disciples, we must follow His path.