Monday, 5 December, 2022 Second Week of Advent

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.”

Reflections: 

Today's Gospel tells us that Jesus, the Son of God has power to heal all infirmities as well as to forgive people's sins. Jesus became an answer to the paralytic's prayer. He received joy, energy and healing.  It is not just the faith of the paralyzed man that Jesus saw, but the faith of the men who brought him also. Now certainly, the paralyzed man had faith, but the text says that Jesus saw their faith. What does this mean for us? It means that you and me can help save our friends and neighbors and relatives. Ultimately, it is they who must place their own faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life, but often times, it is our faith in God that brings them before Jesus. They may be paralyzed by sin. They may be overcome with worldly burdens. They may be pressed down by worry and doubt. But we can go to them and say, “I know somebody who can heal you. I know somebody who can help increase your energies. I know somebody who can give you joy.”

Activity:

 Do unto others, what the men did for the paralytic in your own context.