| Alicia Goodwin

Bold Compassion

“Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart…” (Mark 3:5)

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This passage of the healing of the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath is one of only a handful of times where Jesus shows his anger. Moreover, he was grieved. He was angry at the Pharisees for their hypocritical distortion of the Sabbath law and grieved at their lack of compassion.

Defiant of the Pharisees and their plot against him, Jesus compassionately heals the man and teaches the true purpose of the Sabbath. Jesus is undeterred in carrying out his mission of love to heal, to set the captives free with God’s truth, and to give us life abundant. He is the light of the world.

We share in Jesus’ mission. We too are called to be His light in the world, to speak the truth and to show compassion to those in need. We are called to “do good…to save life rather than to destroy it” (Mark 3:4) on the sabbath and every day of our lives.

On this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, let’s resolve to pray earnestly and do all we can as Catholic citizens to save the most vulnerable in our society and to protect life from the womb to the tomb. Let us be undeterred, like Jesus, to shine the light of God’s truth and uphold the worth of every human life. With His truth and grace, we can transform our culture into a culture of life, life abundant in Jesus Christ, for “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1: 5).

How can I better promote a culture of life in my family, in my community and in my state?

Lord, grant me a compassionate heart like yours, the boldness and wisdom to advocate for a culture of life and the perseverance to courageously live the gospel. Amen.


Alicia GoodwinAlicia Goodwin is the Director of the Marian Servants of Divine Providence®, a Public Association of the Faithful of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and a community of Spirit-filled men and women guiding God’s people to healing, freedom and purpose in Christ through healing prayer, spiritual direction, and retreats.  Their Cenacle of Our Lady of Divine Providence School of Spiritual Direction® offers certification for spiritual directors in association with Franciscan University of Steubenville.  They are located at Our Lady of Divine Providence House of Prayer® by Old Tampa Bay in Clearwater, FL. where all are welcome to attend Masses, Adoration and special speaker events.  Alicia holds a Master’s in Theological Studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX and a B.A. in Languages and Linguistics from Florida Atlantic University.  She and her husband Lee have 3 children, 4 grandchildren and one adorable great grandchild.  For more information on the Marian Servants please visit www.divineprovidence.org.