2026-09-07 - Do not let the opinion of people stop you from doing good Author: Fr. Camillus Nwaigwe
7th of September 2026
Monday in the Twenty third Week of Ordinary Time Year II
1Cor 5:1-8
Lk 6:6-11
One of the greatest obstacles to doing good is not always lack of ability; sometimes it is fear of what people will say.
In the *Gospel*, Jesus entered the synagogue and saw a man with a withered hand. The scribes and Pharisees were watching closely, not because they were concerned about the man, but because they wanted to find a reason to accuse Jesus. They were more interested in what Jesus will do on the Sabbath than in the suffering of the man before them.
Jesus knew what they were thinking, yet He did not allow their opinions to prevent Him from doing what is right. He asked, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" Then He told the man to stretch out his hand, and the man is healed.
There is a powerful lesson here: if our desire to please people becomes stronger than our desire to please God, we will eventually stop doing what is right.
Sometimes we know we should help someone, but we are afraid of what others will say. We want to forgive, but people may call us weak. We want to defend someone who is being treated unjustly, but we fear being misunderstood. We want to speak the truth, but we are afraid of losing friends. We want to assist someone in need, but we worry that people will question our motives.
This does not mean that we should become reckless or disregard wise counsel. It means that when we have discerned that something is genuinely good, just and charitable, we should not abandon it simply because someone may misunderstand us.
Paul gives us another dimension in the first reading. He confronts the Corinthians about a serious situation because he understands that sometimes doing good requires difficult decisions. Love is not merely being nice. Genuine Christian love also has the courage to correct, challenge and protect the community from what can destroy it.
Jesus and Paul therefore teach us two forms of courage, Jesus has the courage to do good despite opposition; Paul has the courage to confront evil despite discomfort. Both are rooted in the same principle: we must not allow human approval to become the measure of Christian faithfulness.
As we begin this new week, perhaps we should ask ourselves is, What good have I failed to do because I am afraid of what people will say? Maybe it is a word of encouragement. Maybe an act of forgiveness. Maybe helping someone whom others have rejected. Maybe speaking up for someone who has no voice. Maybe simply doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People will always have opinions. Today they may praise you; tomorrow they may criticise you. If your life is built entirely around people's approval, you will constantly change direction.
The Christian question is ultimately not, "What will people say?" but "What is the good thing God is asking me to do?" And when the answer is clear, do not let people's opinions stop you from doing good.
God bless you
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