paralysis

It's been days since I last posted in my blog and this makes me feel a bit guilty. But life in the seminary is really unpredictable and very demanding. Please bear with me my dear friends.

Today, upon reading the Gospel, we are made to focus our attention on three significant realities: a paralyzed man, a group of friends, and Jesus.

As today's Gospel says, (Mk 2:1-12): When Jesus returned to Capernaum some time later, news spread that He was at home, and so many people gathered that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the Word to them, some people brought a paralyzed man to him. The four men who carried him couldn't get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, He said to the paralytic, «My son, your sins are forgiven». Now, some teachers of the Law who were sitting there wondered within themselves, «How can he speak like this insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?».

At once Jesus knew through his spirit what they were thinking and asked, «Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man: ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say: ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins». And He said to the paralytic, «Stand up, take up your mat and go home». The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God saying, «We have never seen anything like this!».

I am sure that in the paralyzed man we can see our own reflections. The effects of our sins can make us totally paralyzed. Our sins render us ineffective and powerless in our path to God.

There are times when, either we do not realize it or we think that all is well as we are, or that we shall eventually solve or put up with our little offenses and transgressions in our relations with God.

When was the last time we went to confession? When was the last time we realized we are drowning from our sinful ways? Or maybe we are still not able to reach to a certain point of realization. For how long do we have to wait for the paralysis of our souls to get cured?

The second reality that we need to be aware of is that we truly need good friends that will take us to God and may overcome our resistances.

It is very possible that the paralyzed man, after realizing the commotion his friends had created, may have asked them to halt and postpone it for some other day, that there were a lot of people around Jesus... Not to mention the bother he may make amidst all those who were there and their shoutings because they could not hear what Jesus was saying, and etc...

But true friends are not afraid of troubles, they truly love and they want only the best for us. Let us wonder today whether we have any true friends that would be willing to take us before God.

Let us also wonder whether we are true friends to others and we really try to take those we love to God. We should not forget and realize that they will also oppose resistance.

We may ask ourselves: Am I really a good friend to myself and to others? Can others trust me to help them getting closer to Jesus?

And what about Jesus? He comes to bring the true salvation to us, to deliver us from the paralysis of our souls, to forgive our sins and to bring us redemption.

Do I help myself and others to come to God and be redeemed?

Blessings to us all...