Fr Prodencio Bognay, Assistant Priest at St Agnes’ Catholic Parish, reads from the Gospel of Luke (13: 10-17) in which Jesus cures a woman on Sabbath.Among the serious reasons why Jesus was condemned by the Jewish leaders was about the Sabbath laws. Fr Prodencio says our gospel story today is one of the instances where Jesus found himself in trouble with their Sabbath laws. He says, if we analyze deeper the story, we realize that the conflict is between absolute loyalty to the laws provided by the religious leaders and that of showing love or compassion.As far as the religious leaders were concerned, they felt they were bound to observe the Sabbath law that prevents them from doing any work as a form of honoring God.As far as Jesus was concerned, showing love or compassion at all times does not break the law of Sabbath. It is not the act of avoiding anything considered work that gives honor to God but rather the act of giving or imparting love.The conflict is not about the interpretation of the law. It is rather about the tendency to be preoccupied with the loyalty to the law instead of understanding its spirit or its real sense.Sometimes, Fr Prodencio says, it could happen that we become more preoccupied with making sure we follow all the minute details about doing things properly in our spiritual exercises.In closing, Fr Prodencio says may we be reminded, however, that what matters is that we are able to show and impart love in whatever simple ways we can do.