The scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
In our gospel for today
we have the story of the paralytic and his four friends who went out of their
way to make sure their friend was able to see Jesus. They didn’t let the crowd
stop them from bringing him to Jesus, but rather went to extremes to have their
friend lowered from the roof to be right in front of Jesus. They had no concern
that they were destroying the property by breaking through the roof. They also
didn’t care what other people thought of their actions with their friend in
order for him to see Jesus. Their only concern was that their friend gets to
see Jesus and receive the healing that he so desperately needed.
I can only imagine the
look on Jesus’ face as they lowered their friend right in front of Him. He
probably had an approving smile showing that he was happy with the faith they
showed in lowering the friend to Him. Everyone else in the room probably had a
look of shock on their faces. Then Jesus
would add to the shock of those in the room by telling the man, “Child, your
sins are forgiven.” Jesus, as God, has the power to forgive sins, but those in
the room were scandalized because they only saw Jesus as a simple carpenter
turned preacher from Nazareth. To them, only God can forgive sins, and for
Jesus to do so was blasphemy. Jesus was using this healing as a teaching moment
to those in the room.
The man on the mat, and
his friends, already came to believe in the healing power of Jesus. Our Lord
would go on to say, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority toforgive sins on earth” – he said to the paralytic “I say to you, rise, pick upyour mat, and go home.” (Mark 2:10) Jesus was using this as an opportunity to not only
bring healing to this man, but to teach that he was not only fully human, but
also fully God.
We all have our concerns
and problems that we face in our lives. We can turn to Jesus for healing and
forgiveness through the sacrament of confession. Jesus will be there waiting
for us to grant us forgiveness. Plus, we can place the cares and concerns of
all our family and friends into the loving hands of Jesus each time we come to
Mass. Just place their concerns at the foot of the altar and ask the Lord to
grant them healing and peace.
Lord Jesus, we know and
believe that you are true God and true Man. Please grant us the healing and
peace that we need that can only come from you! Amen.
I have heard that the roofs in Biblical times consisted of tiles so that probably the friends of the paralyzed man removed the necessary number of tiles to get their friend on his mat through the roof. I am sure & I agree that it still must have looked pretty shocking to see the roof open & a man on a mat & his friends coming down, & I agree 100% that the LORD was pleased with their faith, but the roof was probably not destroyed but easily repaired.
ReplyDeleteThis does not in any way minimize the faith, love & courage of the man who was paralyzed & their zeal & determination to get him to JESUS & to get their friend healed by JESUS.
Yes, the Mass, the Eucharist & the Sacrament of Reconciliation are excellent ways to come to the LORD with our burdens & our concerns for the people we love & the problems of this world. At the same time it is wonderful to know that the LORD is present & available 24/7 & we are always welcome to come to Him. I am not minimizing the importance & uniqueness of Mass, the Eucharist & praying in community but it is great to know that whenever we have something on our minds God is willing to listen & we can pour out our hearts to him privately, no matter where we are & when we call upon Him.
Thanks Arlene, for your thoughts. I have the same thing regarding the tiles on the roofs during the time of our Lord, but what struck me are the words in the gospel, "...they opened the roof above him. After they BROKEN through, they let down the mat..." I'm sure the home owner wasn't too pleased to have to worry about the repair!! :-)
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