Today’s Gospel carries on the theme of faith and rescue. The paralytic was blessed with friends who were faithful and persistent. Surely Jesus was also moved by such a demonstration of friendship. We don’t know much about the faith of the paralytic, but his friends demonstrated their faith so vividly and boldly. When the paralyzed man’s unwavering friends could not get him in front of Jesus because the stretcher was too unwieldy to bring through the crowd, they carried him up to the roof and lowered him through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “your sins are forgiven.” The power of faith teaches that the bigger the faith the better a friend we make.
All of us have come to God because someone else shared God’s love with us. Through an unbroken chain going back to the Apostles, the faithful among God’s people have carried forth the truth of the Gospel, carrying an invitation of hope and a relationship of love and friendship with the God who created us, and who reigns as King forever. We need to be grateful for those people, going back to our parents, sibling, and friends who have carried us from time to time along the journey of faith.
A man was on his way to a bridge to leap to his death. He stopped for a traffic light. Standing on the curb was elderly woman who gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. As he drove off, the smile began to haunt him. He had no idea who she was, but he does know he owes his life to her. She was a blessing to him at the most critical moment of his life.
God can use us to bless another. Do I really become instrument of God’s healing for others ? If I have not brought at least a few people come to faith and healing I have not really expressed gratitude for my faith and wellness. Let’s express our gratitude to God by leading others to the mercy and forgiveness of God.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment