In today’s gospel reading, which is taken from the Gospel of Mark we read the following. – “When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Imagine, for a moment the struggles of the paralyzed man. His body was confined to a met, unable to move, unable to experience, a condition that seemed hopeless.
Despite all that, the paralyzed man and his friends were determents to see Jesus. Disheartened, they could have given up, but they didn’t. Instead, they decided to take a different approach. They climbed up on the roof, removed the tiles, and lowered the paralyzed man down through the hole in front of Jesus.
In this story first of all we see three principles of our church and they are. – Faith, Hope, and Love. When we read the story, we see that they were not in that room or outside of the room, they brought their friends from his house probably or wherever he was. They brought because they had faith, they believed in Jesus. They believed that Jesus could heal their friend. Again, we see that when they arrived, there was no room to enter. They didn’t lose hope, so they found a way.
And finally, Love. Because of their love for their friend, they carried him, even though they removed the tiles of the house for him. This is true love. In today’s St. Paul’s letter from 1 Corinthians, the apostle reminds us of these principles by saying. – “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13.13).
Dear brothers and sisters, the most important question is do we have these three principles in our lives? Do we have faith, hope, and love? What is written in the Bible is not just a story, it’s a teaching, a life lesson.
Do we believe that Jesus can heal and solve our illnesses and problems? If the answer is yes, then show that faith. Thank God none of us are like a paralyzed man, and we don’t have to be like him so show our faith, to believe in Jesus’s power.
The key to having a successful life is to Believe in God and to put your hope in him. The proof of this sentence is today’s paralyzed man’s story. Who knows, maybe he went to so many doctors in that time, spent thousands and they didn’t find any cure or way to heal. We have the same situation in our lives. Despite being in the 21st century, still they find medicine for some diseases. I, myself heard from so many peoples about their health situations being hopeless and after a time they found out they were healed by the power of God. Believe me, miracles happen every day, just “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed” and hope the size of Job’s hope, you will be the witnesses of thousands of miracles.
In today’s world, we hear so much about love, that we have to love everyone without any conditions. I agree that we should love everyone, Jesus himself told us the same “Love your friend, and neighbors as yourself”. But the love that our Lord is telling us is different from the love that we hear every day. If you love someone, and suddenly he or she makes mistakes instead of gossiping about them to others talk with them about their mistakes and help them to come out from there. That’s true love.
So, as we reflect on the story of the paralyzed man, let us renew our faith in Jesus Christ. Let us trust in His unfailing love and healing power. Let us be persistent in seeking His presence, knowing that with Him, nothing is impossible. May we be like the friends of the paralyzed man, willing to help others encounter Jesus and be transformed by His love. And may we find strength and hope in knowing that through faith, we too can experience the miraculous healing of body, mind, and soul. Amen.
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