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| Mark 2:1-12 |
In today’s Gospel we hear the amazing
story of Jesus proclaiming the Good News of God’s love in a house that was
packed and overflowing with people. Outside the house there were some friends
with a paralyzed man who was lying flat on a mat. His friends were hoping to
bring him to Jesus since they had heard Jesus could heal people! When they got
to the home they realized that they could not make their way through the
crowds. They could have gone home. They could have given up. Sometimes we have
the intention to do the right thing but as soon as we are faced with any sort
of hardship or difficulty we take the easy way out. Not these friends! These
friends were people of virtue
(having a strong habit of doing what is good even when faced with difficulty).
The friends climbed up on top of the
roof (which likely had a roof made of straw) and created a hole in the roof so
that they could lower their friend on the mat down through the roof to Jesus below!
Jesus saw how strong their faith in Him was that they would do anything to get their friend to Him.
Jesus offered this paralyzed man
healing, but curiously not physical healing at first. Jesus told the man your sins are forgiven. Many of the religious leaders got upset that this
man, Jesus, was forgiving another of his sins. How could He do that? Jesus, knowing
their doubt, showed his great love and authority over both the physical and
spiritual wounds we have by healing the man physically, telling him rise, pick up your mat and walk! When
Jesus healed the man physically he showed the crowds that He had the power to
heal the man spiritually as well, that He has power to heal all of creation.
Imagine yourself in today’s Gospel as…
(a) The friends
of the paralyzed man: To what lengths will we go to bring about healing and
love to those who we care about? How can we bring people to the healing love of
Jesus in our lives?
(b) The paralyzed
man: In what ways are we in need of healing both physically and spiritually?
(c) The religious
leaders who doubted: Do we really believe
that Jesus has the ability to heal us and forgive us of our sins? Do we trust
God enough to open ourselves up to Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation
and the Eucharist?
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