Pentecost 11 – liberation
Lectionary Pentecost 11, Year C
Commentary Pentecost 11
Visual Lectionary, Aug 24, 2025
The four passages for Proper 16 (Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 103:1-8, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17) share a central theme of God’s transformative power and compassion, calling believers to live lives of justice, worship, and liberation. Isaiah 58 urges the people to turn from empty religiosity to acts of mercy —loosening the bonds of injustice and honoring the Sabbath—as the true path to restoration. Psalm 103 echoes this with a celebration of God’s mercy and grace, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Hebrews contrasts the fearsome Mount Sinai with the joyous assembly at Mount Zion, emphasizing the awe-inspiring yet accessible presence of God now revealed through Christ. In Luke, Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath, confronting legalism with compassion, embodying God’s desire to lift burdens and restore wholeness. Together, these readings call the faithful to recognize God’s holy presence not in rigid observance, but in merciful action and reverent joy.
Focus on the Gospel
Gospel – “Woman you are set free”
The Woman in the Gospel is revealing
Remembering…
St. Bartholomew, Aug 24