In our gospel for today we have this beautiful healing of the paralytic by Jesus. This healing, like all of Jesus' healings, shows the love, mercy and concern for all people when they are suffering. As I was reading this, I realized that there's more to it than just the healing of the paralytic. His friends were the ones that brought him to Jesus for the healing. With the prayers and support of his friends, Jesus became aware of the need of healing of the paralytic.
These friends of the paralytic are examples of what we should be doing with those family and friends in our lives that are in need of healing for whatever they may be struggling with. These friends physically brought the paralytic to Jesus for healing and based on their faith the paralytic received the forgiveness of sins and healing of body. We, too, with our faith, can spiritually bring people to Christ for healing.
We all have family and friends that are in need of our prayers. Further there are people who constantly ask me for my prayers for whatever need or concern they are facing. I know for myself that whenever I am about to enter into prayer, whether it's the rosary, the Breviary, or assisting at Mass, I bring to mind those prayer requests of friends, and also, the cares and concerns that I have for my family and bring them to Jesus to respond in the way that's best for those I'm praying for.
One other thing that stands out for me in this reading is the fact that Jesus has the power to forgive our sins. His forgiving the sins of the paralytic upset those around him, accusing Jesus of blaspheming. After all, who can forgive sins but God? Jesus is teaching those around him of his divinity and his power to forgive sins.
Jesus left with the apostles and His church the ability to forgive sins through the sacrament of confession. Let us use this sacrament often in order to bring spiritual healing that can come to us from Christ through the ministry of the priest.
Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner.
Yes, an essential part of the Christian life is bringing our family members, friends, & other people & animals in need to the LORD through our prayers. It is both a duty & a privilege. We remember them at Mass, especially at The Prayer of the Faithful, which usually gives us a few moments to pray silently for our own private petitions & intercessions, & sometimes at the Elevation of the Host. We can remember them in our formal devotional prayers. Personally I like often to speak to the LORD in my own words about the people who need my prayers & their needs in my own words, whenever they come to mind during the day & before I go to bed at night. We can speak to the LORD in our own words the way we would speak with a parent, a spouse or a close friend about whatever or whomever is in/on our hearts, as long as it is with respect.
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