friday of the First week of Ordinary Time (1 Sm 8:4-22; Mk 2:1-12) Unity in heart, mind and in action is important to drive any plan to completion. Many people today complain about sickness – especially the spiritual variety and that too in the various groups that form part of the Church. Some complain that some parts have become sick to the core, and that is why there is perhaps no attendance in Church Liturgical services in some parts of Europe and other countries. While complaining about it does happen, the greater question is what are we doing about it? Indeed, we would really be doing something about it, if we really cared about Church, which is the body of Christ. In Gospel today, there is a paralytic. He is in no position to walk. However, he is blessed, in that he has wonderful friends who bring him to Jesus. Perhaps the friends had heard about Jesus, and wanted to bring this paralyzed man to Jesus. Perhaps, this man heard about Jesus, and asked his friends to take him to Jesus. It is possible that this man and his friends had perhaps tried all other medication and treatment, perhaps even wrong sources before, and none of these worked. However, now they are ready to experience what Jesus can do. This brings us to the first lesson – about the power of sharing the Good News and of testimony. Surely, we do not know when someone will hear the word of God and turn to the Lord, or will bring their friends to the Lord. These friends are unique, in that even obstacles do not disappoint them. If they cannot enter through the door, they are willing to enter through the roof (and not just figuratively but even literally). Nothing seems to deter them. Climbing up a roof is not an easy job by any measure, much less when you are carrying a sick person along with you on a bed. Everything needs planning and careful execution and coordination. One slip, or if even one person does not work in coordination will ensure that the entire team comes down crashing and with disastrous consequences. The men then open a part of the roof, and let the paralyzed man in. This too requires perfect planning, besides first checking where Jesus was sitting, and then carefully letting the man down in perfect coordination; else, perhaps more damage could happen to the person than his already existing state. Scripture says, “Jesus saw their faith”. Whose faith is it? Is it of the paralyzed man? Or is it just of the people bringing the man to Jesus? It could be one, it could be both of these. Often we tell others to have faith. It is difficult for a person who is ill or sick or in sin (because of the situation or whatever) to have faith. It is then the faith of the family, or of the people around, or the community or of Christians elsewhere in the Church that helps people struggling in sin or sickness to recover. What caused the people to do this? We realize it is love. it is only love that can make us take us greatest risks, go that extra distance for the sake of the well being of our loved ones? Do we have that kind of love for our Church which is struggling in various places because of various reasons - a love that is not discouraged by obstacles, a love that can verily storm heavens and bring the “roof down” and bring the suffering Church and her condition, into the Lord’s presence? Let us also thank God for friends, neighbors, relatives, ancestors and others, who brought us (and perhaps our ancestors before us) into God’s presence, otherwise perhaps we would never have had an opportunity to come into God’s Holy Presence. It is also interesting to note that Jesus says, “Child, your sins are forgiven”. One does not know the age of the paralyzed person in this Gospel version. However, this passage is one of those that have great importance especially to people who ask, “where in Bible does Jesus say He is God”. First, the word Jesus used - “child” – takes us back to the “Our Father”. When God forgives us, we are called back to be children of God. Jesus is reiterating this, that the person is a child of God, by calling this person as child. When Jesus says, “your sins are forgiven”, some of the people question, “Who alone but God can forgive sins”. Indeed, Jesus is clearly demonstrating through His words that He is good. Jesus then gives yet another indicator that He is God, when He tells the paralytic, “Pick up your mat, and go home”. The man is healed. This brings to mind, the words of Psalms that say, “You send forth your word and heal our disease”. At Jesus’ word, the man is healed. Of course, spiritual healing (cleansing of sin) often brings physical healing too. Jesus clearly shows that He is God – that He has power to forgive sins and that He has power to heal. Our own sin and sickness (and of those around, and in the members of Church and in the world), no matter how bad it, no matter if it even paralyzes our life and our actions, and from going forward, can be healed, if we but bring it to Jesus. The final lines of Gospel today, also perhaps give us a reason why we are not as capable as Jesus in healing others (of course, there is no doubt that He is God). The reason is that, everything Jesus did was for God’s greater glory, so that people around glorified God. On the other many of those who “claim” to heal today, are but seeking their own glory, as is clear from posters of the “conferences” they conduct. Let us all seek God’s glory in everything and everywhere, and then we shall see mighty things happening in us, around us, and in the Church.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 05:11:28 +0000
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