Meditations: Mark 2:1-12
(Healing of the Paralytic)
Mar 2:1 And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home. Mar 2:2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. Mar 2:3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Mar 2:4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. Mar 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Mar 2:6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, Mar 2:7 "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Mar 2:8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Mar 2:9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'? Mar 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic-- Mar 2:11 "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." Mar 2:12 And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
It says that Jesus was at home. Can you imagine if Jesus' house was near yours? What would you do? How fast would you run to get to Him? Well, I got news for you; Jesus' house is near you. You can visit Jesus at His house in church. The Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Going to Mass every Sunday is visiting God in His house.
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them.
Christ was preaching the Word to them? What Word was he preaching? The Eternal Word of God. Where can we go to hear this Word today? We mentioned above that we can go to God's house when we go to church. We not only take in God into our bodies, but we also listen to His Word being preached to us. Where else can we go to hear the Word of God? You don't have to go anywhere. You can just sit at your own home, pick up the Bible and meditate on God's Word.
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men
The whole story we are focusing on is the healing of the paralytic. This man was paralyzed and could not walk and that is why he needed the help of four other men to get him to Jesus. How can this relate to you? We are also in need of healing. We are spiritually paralyzed and need the help of Christ to heal us. Sometimes, we can't do everything on our own because we can't make up our own rules along the way. We need the help of our neighbor, the ones who can walk and are able to do what we are not able to do yet. They have knowledge and wisdom that they can tell us and we should have our ears open to what they tell us. The Church is the one who has wisdom and that wisdom comes from God. We need to run to Jesus, but first we need to make sure we are running to the true God. There are many churches that claim they lead you to Christ, but some of these churches walk on one leg. They may not be paralyzed, but they are not the same as the
And when they could not get near him because of the crowd,
Sometimes we have obstacles that we face on our journey to God. What is stopping you from getting to God? Surely, it should be nothing. Are you afraid that your friends will make fun of you or leave you because you are seeking God? Are you concerns on what other people think of you? Let us turn our eyes to Christ! Sometimes, we have friends who are so into the physical world, that when they see you trying to run to Jesus, they simply do not understand it. They cannot fathom why anyone would want to follow and live a religious lifestyle. I am not talking about priests, monks, nuns, etc. You yourself can become a religious person, a holy person, a saint. What is stopping you? For those around you that do not understand your desires and love for God, pray for them. They are children of God and are loved by God the same we He loves all His creatures.
they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay
So they found another way to get to Jesus. They would not allow anything to stop them from getting to Him. Likewise for us! Let nothing or no one get in your way when you are seeking Truth. Notice what they didn't do. They did not try and force the paralytic through the crowd. They avoided the obstacle that prevented them from getting to Jesus. So too for us, we must avoid anything that prevents us from going to Jesus. Sin is a great obstacle. Do not let sin be an obstacle for your journey to God. Take your sin with you on your journey to God and God will heal you from it.
Can you imagine the things they were doing? Just picture it in your head. They go on top of the roof and make an opening to try and get the paralytic to Jesus. I can only imagine what Jesus is thinking at this point. He knows what they are doing. He sees everything.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."
What did Jesus see? He saw their faith. Do people see your faith? Do people see your faith or do you hide it instead? Are you ashamed of your beliefs and what people think of you? There was a great crowd there with Jesus and these men did not care about what anyone thought. They knew that this paralytic needs healing and they went out of their way to get him healed. This is the true way of faith. St. Francis of
Jesus tells the paralytic "My son, your sins are forgiven." What was the purpose of this man's approach to Jesus? To be forgiven of his sins or do to be healed of his paralysis? How can we relate this to our spiritual life? You know, sometimes people go to God when they are in trouble. In trouble with life, finances, illnesses, marriages, depression, addiction, etc. We go to God and want Him to heal us from these physical problems. What does God do? He sees our faith and He tells us the same thing He told the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." We can be forgiven of our sins if we ask God to forgive us. He will free us from our afflictions, whether it is physical or spiritual. He cares about every problem we face. We need to cast our anxieties on the Lord because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Some of you have gone through something similar to this. People start looking down on us and start questioning everything we do and say. They just want an opportunity to bring us down. They do not understand what it is that we are seeking. If the scribes were humble, if they denied their selves and their pride, they would not have asked this question. They would have seen that Jesus is the One True God. He has the power to forgive sins. So too for us, if we deny our selves, get rid of our pride, and be more humble, we will see that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He wants us to come to Him so that He can forgive us of our sins.
And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
Jesus asks them “which is easier to say, yours sins are forgiven or pick up your pallet and walk?” In other words, which is easier to do, tell someone their sins are forgiven or to heal someone (ask them)? The answer is that the easier thing to do is to tell someone their sins are forgiven. So the harder thing to do is heal. So if Jesus can heal the paralytic, then forgiving the man’s sins is no problem for him. This is how Jesus proves to the crowd that he really did forgive the paralytic’s sins.
Are you seeking proof that your sins are forgiven? Approach the confessional and confess your sins and you will encounter face to face with the proof. Before you go in the confessional to confess your sins, you will have a big load on your shoulder. Everything feels heavy. Some of the sins you have are wearing you down and you are regretting your sins. Can you imagine the feeling that you feel once God forgives you of your sins? The remarkable feeling is a miracle itself.
But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"
Do we know that the Son of man, the Christ, has authority to forgive us our sins? If we know, then why don't we confess our sins to Him more often? What is holding us back?
he said to the paralytic-- "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."
We are spiritually paralyzed and we also need to get up, pick up our sins, and walk to the confessional and will be set healed from our paralysis.
And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
The miracle that was done was not only done for the paralysis, but for the people to witness it. How beautiful is our Lord! He loves all of His children. When God heals us of our spiritual illnesses, there are people who look at what God did for us and we become witnesses to God's power and glory. I quoted this once above but it is worth quoting again. Saint Francis of
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