11-Dec-17

Gospel LK 5:17-26
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven."
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
"Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
"What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
"We have seen incredible things today."
Reflection:
"And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus."
These men had such tremendous faith that Jesus would heal their paralyzed friend that they actually cut a hole in the roof to lower him down in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven."
Interestingly, Saint Luke did not write, "when Jesus saw "his" faith...instead He said, "when Jesus saw "their" faith.
I have to believe that Jesus was not only telling the paralyzed man he was forgiven, but those who lowered him through the roof as well.
As a director of a retreat house I have witnessed many broken women and men arrive on retreat paralyzed by the weight of their sins.
Encouraged to attend the retreat for the first time by a friend, they would come through the front door with their head down, reluctant to meet my eyes as I welcomed them.
One woman, Karen; particularly sticks out in my mind.
Throughout the weekend, even after having going to confession, the weight of Karen's sins bore heavy on her soul.
Seeking solace, she asked, "Why don't I feel forgiven?"
Her friend answered, "Because you don't understand how much God loves you. I know what God said when you walked into this retreat house on Friday.
Astounded, Karen asked, "What did He say?'
Her friend answered, "God looked down and saw you, broken and paralyzed with fear and He said, "Ohhhhh, it's my daughter, Karen, she's finally come home to me."
As tears welled in Karen's eyes, her friend said, "Karen, God doesn't care about your sins....He's just happy you've come home to him."
The truth of God's love for us is what sets us free from the paralysis of our sins.
How strong is my faith?
Can I believe that God loves me as I love my own child and that He holds nothing against me?
In believing, will I bring others to Christ, so they too may be set free?
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation." Mark 16:15