The Sunday Gospel [February 19, 2012]
Mark 2:1-12
1When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. 2Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. 3They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, 7“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” 8Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”—11he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”12He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
Reflection
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child your sins are forgiven.” ~ v. 5
Did you catch that? Jesus forgave this man and healed his paralysis because he saw the faith of his friends! It wasn’t the paralyzed man’s faith that moved him; it was his friends’ faith. These four men stood with their friend and were convinced that if they could just get him to Jesus, he could be healed. Even if it meant tearing up the roof, they loved their friend enough – and they believed in Jesus enough – to do it.
What a moving illustration of true brotherhood! While the paralyzed man doubtless had faith himself, it was his four friends who actually got him to Jesus. If it weren’t for them, he never would have been able to walk – or known Jesus’ forgiveness.
Jesus never intended the Christian life to be a solitary journey. On the contrary, we are stronger when we are surrounded and supported by brothers and sisters in faith. Where the world tells us to be independent and self-reliant, Jesus tells us to lean on each other – and to let others lean on us. That’s probably why he sent his disciples to preach two by two. He knew they needed to balance each other out, with one helping the other in moments of weakness and tiredness. He knew they needed each other so that they would not fall to temptations of pride, or give up in the face of opposition or hardship.
What about you? Do you have brothers and sisters to help bring you to Jesus? Are there people whom you would go out of your way to help in their faith? It’s always a good idea to reach out to one or two people in your parish and try to build friendship with them based on your faith. God wants to give us companions along the way. May we all be open to so generous a gift, the gift of one another.
Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).
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