1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2. And straightway many were gathered together, inasmuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word to them.
3. And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, your sins be forgiven you.
6. But there were certain of the Scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7. Why does this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason you these things in your hearts?
9. Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Your sins be forgiven you; or to say, Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?
10. But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (he says to the sick of the palsy,)
11. I say to you, Arise, and take up your bed, and go your way into your house.
12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; inasmuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

BEDE; Because the compassion of God deserts not even carnal persons, He accords to them the grace of His presence, by which even they may be made spiritual. After the desert, the Lord returns into the city; wherefore it is said, And again he entered into Capernaum, &c.

AUG. But in Matthew writes this miracle as if it were done in the city of the Lord, whilst Mark places it in Capernaum, which would he more difficult of solution, if Matthew had also named Nazareth. But seeing that Galilee itself might be called the city of the Lord, who can doubt but that the Lord did these things in His own city, since He did them in Capernaum, a city of Galilee; particularly as Capernaum was of such importance in Galilee as to be called its metropolis? Or else, Matthew passed by the things which were done after He came into His own city, until He came to Capernaum, and so adds on the story of the paralytic healed, subjoining, And, behold, they presented to him a man sick of the palsy, after he had said that He came into His own city.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or else, Matthew called Capernaum His city because He went there frequently, and there did many miracles. It goes on: And it was noised that he was in the house, &c. For the desire of hearing Him was stronger than the toil of approaching Him.

After this, they introduce the paralytic, of whom Matthew and Luke speak; wherefore there follows: And they came unto him bearing one sick of the palsy, who was carried by four.

Finding the door blocked up by the crowd, they could not by any means enter that way. Those who carried him, however, hoping that he could merit the grace of being healed, raising the bed with their burden, and uncovering the roof, lay him with his bed before the face of the Savior. And thus is that which is added: And when they could not lay him before him, &c.

There follows: But when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick of the palsy, Son, your sins be forgiven you. He did not mean the faith of the sick man, but of his bearers; for it sometimes happens, that a man is healed by the faith of another.

BEDE; It may indeed be seen, how much each person's own faith weighs with God, when that of another had such influence that the whole man at once rose up, healed body and soul, and by one man's merit, another should have his sins forgiven him.

THEOPHYL. He saw the faith of the sick man himself, since he would not have allowed himself to be carried, unless he lad had faith to be healed.

BEDE; Moreover, the Lord being about to cure the man of the palsy, first loosed the chains of his sins, in order to show that he was condemned to the loosening of his joints, because of the bonds of his sins, and could not be healed to the recovery of his limbs, unless these were first loosened. But Christ's wonderful humility calls this man, despised, weak, with all the joints of his limbs unstrung, a son, when the priests did not deign to touch him. Or at least, He therefore calls him a son, because his sins are forgiven him. It goes on: But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why does this man speak blasphemies?

CYRIL; Now they accuse Him of blasphemy, anticipating the sentence of His death: for there was a command in the Law, that whosoever blasphemed should be put to death. And this charge they laid upon Him, because He claimed for Himself the divine power of remitting sins: wherefore it is added, Who can forgive sin, save God only? For the Judge of all alone has power to forgive sin.

BEDE; Who remits sin by those also to whom he has assigned the power of remitting, and therefore Christ is proved to be very God, for He is able to remit sins as God. The Jews then are in error, who although they hold the Christ both to be God, and to be able to remit sins, do not however believe that Jesus is the Christ. But the Arians err much more madly, who although overwhelmed with the words of the Evangelist, so that they cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ, and can remit sin, nevertheless fear not to deny that He is God.

But He Himself, desiring to shame the traitors both by His knowledge of things hidden and by the virtue of His works, manifests Himself to be God. For there follows: And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned, he said to them, Why reason you these things in your hearts? In which He shows Himself to be God, since He can know the hidden things of the heart; and in a manner though silent He speaks thus, With the same power and majesty, by which I look upon your thoughts, I can forgive the sins of men.

THEOPHYL. But though their thoughts were laid bare, still they remain insensible, refusing to believe that He who knew their hearts could forgive sins, wherefore the Lord proves to them the cure of the soul by that of the hotly, showing time invisible by the visible, that which is more difficult by that which is easier, although they did not look upon it as such. For the Pharisees thought it more difficult to heal the body, as being more open to view; but the soul more easy to cure, because the cure is invisible; so that they reasoned thus, Lo, He does not now cure the body, but heals the unseen soul; if He had had more power, lie would at once have cured the body, and not have fled for refuge to the unseen world. The Savior, therefore, showing that He can do both, says, which is the easier? as if He said, I indeed by the healing of time body, which is in reality more easy, but appears to you more difficult, will prove to you the health of the soul, which is really more difficult.

PSEUD-CHRYS. And because it is easier to say than to do, there was still manifestly something to say in opposition, for the work was not yet manifested; wherefore He subjoins, But that you may know, &c. as if He said, Since you doubt my word, I will bring on a work which will confirm what was unseen. But He says in a marked manner, On earth to forgive sins, that He might show that He has joined the power of the divinity to the human nature by an inseparable union, because although He was made man, yet He remained the Worth of God; and although by an economy He conversed on the earth with men, nevertheless He was not prevented from working miracles and from giving remission of sins. For his human nature did not in any thing take away from these things which essentially belonged to His Divinity, nor the Divinity hinder the Word of God from becoming on earth, according to the flesh, time Son of Man without change and in truth.

THEOPHYL. Again, He Says, Take up your bed, to prove the greater certainty of the miracle, showing that it is not a mere illusion; and at time same time to show that He not only healed, but gave strength; thus He not only turns away souls from sin, but gives them the power of working out the commandments.

BEDE; A carnal sign therefore is given, that the spiritual sign may be proved, although it belongs to the same power to do away with the distempers of both soul and body, whence it follows: And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.

CHRYS. Further, He first healed by the remission of sins that which He had come to seek, that is, a soul, so that when they faithlessly doubted, then He might bring forward a work before them, and in this way His word might be confirmed by the work, and a hidden sign be proved by an open one, that is, the health of the soul by the healing of the body.

BEDE; We are also informed, that many sicknesses of body arise from sins, and therefore perhaps sins are first remitted, that the causes of sickness being taken away, health may be restored. For men are afflicted by fleshly troubles for five causes, in order to increase their merits, as Job and the Martyrs; or to preserve their lowliness, as Paul by the messenger of Satan; or that they may perceive amid correct their sins, as Miriam, the sister of Moses, and this paralytic; or for the glory of God, as the man born blind and Lazarus; or as the beginnings of the pains of damnation, as Herod and Antiochus. But wonderful is the virtue of the divine power, where without the least interval of time, by time command of the Savior, a speedy health accompanies His words. Wherefore there follows: Insomuch that they were all amazed. Leaving the greater thing, that is, the remission of sins, they only wonder at that which is apparent, that is, the health of the body.

THEOPHYL. This is not however the paralytic, whose cure is related by John, for he had no man with him , this one had four; he is cured in the pool of the sheep market, but this one in a house. It is the same man, however, whose cure is related by Matthew and Mark. But mystically, Christ is still in Capernaum, in the house of consolation.

BEDE; Moreover, whilst the Lord is preaching in the house, there is not room for them , not even at the door, because whilst Christ is preaching in Judea, the Gentiles are not yet able to enter to hear Hum, to whom, however, though placed without, he directed the words of His doctrine by His preachers.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Again, the palsy is a type of the torpor, in which man lies slothful in the softness of the flesh, though desiring health.

THEOPHYL. If therefore I, having the powers of my mind unstrung, remain, whenever I attempt any thing good without strength, as a palsied man, and if I be raised on high by the four Evangelists, and be brought to Christ, and there hear myself called son, then also are my sins quitted by me; for a man is called the son of God because he works the commandments.

BEDE; Or else, because there are four virtues, by which a man is through an assured heart exalted so that he merits safety; which virtues some call prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Again, they desire to bring the palsied man to Christ, but they are impeded on every side by the crowd which is between them, because often the soul desires to be renewed by the medicine of Divine grace, but through the sluggishness of the groveling body is held back by the hindrance of old custom. Oftentimes amidst the very sweetnesses of secret prayer, and, as it may be called, the pleasant converse with God, a crowd of thoughts, cutting off the clear vision of the mind, shuts out Christ from its sight. Let us not then remain in the lowest ground, where the crowds are bustling, but aim at the roof of the house, that is, the sublimity of the Holy Scripture, and meditate on the law of the Lord.

THEOPHYL. But how should I be borne to Christ, if the roof be not opened. For the roof is the intellect, which is set above all those things which are within us; here it has much earth about it in the tiles which are made of clay, I mean, earthly things: but if these be taken away, the virtue of the intellect within us is freed from its load. After this let it be let down, that is, humbled. For it does not teach us to be puffed up, because our intellect has its load cleared away, but to be humbled still more.

BEDE; Or else, the sick man is let down after the roof is opened, because, when the Scriptures are laid open to us, we arrive at the knowledge of Christ, that is, we descend to His lowliness, by the dutifulness of faith. But by the sick man being let down with his bed, it is meant that Christ should be known by man, whilst yet in the flesh. But by rising from the bed is meant the soul's rousing itself from carnal desires, in which it was lying in sickness. To take up the bed is to bridle the flesh itself by the bands of continence, and to separate it from earthly pleasures, through the hope of heavenly rewards. But to take up the bed and to go home is to return to paradise. Or else the man, now healed, who had been sick carries back home his bed, when the soul, after receiving remission of sins, returns, even though encompassed with the body, to its internal watch over itself.

THEOPHYL. It is necessary to take up also one's bed, that is the body, to the working of good. For then shall we be able to arrive at contemplation, so that our thoughts should say within us, never have we seen in this way before, that is never understood as we have done since we have been cured of the palsy; for he who is cleansed from sin, sees more purely.

Catena Aurea Mark 2

The paralytic lowered from the roof, Jesus and an apostle

Mosaic, 6c.
Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy

Information: St. Berard of Carbio

Feast Day: January 16

Born: Carbio, Umbria, Italy

Died 16 January 1220, Morocco

Canonized: 1481, Rome by Pope Sixtus IV

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Berard and Companions

Feast Day: January 16

St. Berard was born at Carbio in Italy and came from a noble family. When he was older he joined the order of Saint Francis of Assisi as a Franciscan Friar. St. Berard later became a priest and was a good preacher who also spoke Arabic.

St. Francis of Assisi asked some of his Franciscan friars, including St. Berard to go to Morocco and preach. They were to announce Christianity to the Muslims. The Friars agreed and Berard, Peter, Adjutus, Accursio and Odo traveled by ship in 1219.

Morocco is in the northwest corner of Africa and the journey was long and dangerous. The group arrived at Seville, Spain. They started preaching immediately, on streets and in public squares.

The people there thought they were crazy and had them arrested. To save themselves from being sent back home, the friars declared they wanted to see the sultan. So the governor of Seville sent them to Morocco.

The sultan welcomed the friars and gave them freedom to preach in the city. But some of the people did not like this and complained to the authorities. The sultan tried to save the friars by sending them to live in Marrakech, on the west coast of Morocco.

A Christian prince and friend of the sultan, Dom Pedro Fernandez, took them into his home. But the friars knew that their mission was to preach the faith and they returned to the city as often as they could.

This angered the people who did not want to hear the friars' message. Their complaints finally angered the sultan so much that one day when he saw the friars preaching, he ordered them to stop or leave the country.

Since they had been sent to fulfill a mission, they refused to do both and were beheaded right then and there. It was January 16, 1220.

Dom Pedro Fernandez went to claim the bodies of the martyrs and later brought their remains to Holy Cross Church in Coimbra, Portugal. The friars' mission to Morocco had been brief and looked like a failure. But the results were surprising.

The story of these heroes fired the first Franciscans with the desire to be missionaries and martyrs too. It was their particular witness that inspired a young man to dedicate his life to God as a Franciscan priest. We know him as St. Anthony of Padua. His feast day is June 13.

Catholic Spiritual Direction.com

Into the New Year

January 16, 2015 by Carmelite Sisters

Into the New Year

This year, I’m getting a running start! I’m going to shoot into the New Year like a cannonball!

Each New Year’s Eve, I find myself a bit introspective. Something about the mystery of time gets me thinking. Another year has passed. Another year is sealed in which scores of events and actions have been irrevocably woven into its fabric. In my own life too, I become aware that the path that I chose to tread this past year has shaped who I am. The blessings and sufferings, the successes and failures, the ordinary and the extraordinary have changed me. There is no going back — only forward. And what will this year hold? With the freshness of this clean slate, the crispness and purity of the year open before me, I wonder what new vistas of life and love lie ahead.

These musings always lead me, somewhat ceremoniously, to chart a course for the New Year. I dutifully start by identifying grandiose goals and translate those into specific, attainable steps for each month. I journal and I plan; I make little reminders so that I can remember my resolutions; I envision success; and I launch into the New Year as the clock strikes twelve.

On New Year’s Day, my golden resolutions have to be postponed, of course. I mean, how can someone not celebrate this Marian Solemnity with a little rest and relaxation? And then January 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th I’m normally enjoying a bit of down time from the activity of the classroom, so I can’t really jump into the resolutions until we are all back into our regular routine. And by January 5^th, well, most of the newness and freshness of my resolutions has begun to wear off. Perhaps a few days of zeal follow but pretty soon discouragement sets in and the whole thing is shoved under the rug lest it prick my conscience.

This year has me thinking in a different vein, though: perhaps the root cause of my lack of motivation is found not in a lack of will power but in a faulty internalization of the principles underlying my New Year’s goals. Perhaps I don’t really want to change?

We know that human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, are endowed with the precious gifts of intellect and free will. By virtue of his intellect, “the human person is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator.” And by his “free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true good” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1704). Our will always seeks what the intellect perceives as good, but since our nature bears the wound of original sin, our will is now inclined to evil and our intellect is subject to error. In other words, we still want the good but we often are going after the wrong thing!

Much experience has proven that if we want to change a habit, it is not enough to simply make the decision to do so. This is because, according to our intellect, the habit was formed for a good reason! In order to change a habit, we must change how we think. We have to take an honest look at what we perceive as good. What is the good that we have been seeking which has led to our habit-forming actions? Comfort? Prestige? Independence? Security? Control? Is this the good that I really want to continue seeking, or is there a higher good that I need to turn my will toward? Charity? Integrity? Honesty? Peacefulness? Purity? Faithfulness? In the end, it is quite ineffective to expect our independent will alone to discipline us against what our intellect perceives as the highest good.

What does this look like in practice? Well, I’m pretty sure that most of us should be eating more vegetables and less sweets. Yet how many of us have honestly done enough study about nutrition and prayed enough about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit to really WANT to eat more vegetables! In fact, standing on the threshold of 2015 I can honestly say that I don’t really even WANT to WANT to eat more vegetables!

So that is where I’m going to begin. Instead of revving up the engine of my will power to make life changes that are overdue, I’m first working to put on the mind of Christ. Before the freshness of this New Year is marred by my excuses and apathy, I’m diving into prayer and asking for the grace to do what I cannot do alone. I’m also doing my homework through prayer and study so that I can allow our Lord to convince me of the truths that I need to deeply internalize if I’m going to make any lasting changes:

that mercy is boundless and worth sharing;
that God is found in silence;
that goodness and charity are to be sought at all times;
that self-control is an expression of love;
that holiness is happiness;
that service brings joy; and
yes, that vegetables are good for me.

Once these truths are deeply rooted in our hearts and minds, the rest, by God’s grace, will follow!

A woman once asked St. John Vianney the best way to get to heaven. He answered “Quite straight, like a cannonball!” We just need to make sure that our intellects have our cannons aimed in the right direction! The key is letting in the light of truth.

Happy New Year! May you go to Him “quite straight, like a cannonball!”

+++++++

This post originally appeared on the website of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, used with permission.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Friday, January 16

Liturgical Color: Green

On this day in 1946, Pope Pius XII
declared St. Anthony of Padua a Doctor
of the Church. This title is bestowed on
those who are very learned in the Church
and whose writings have benefited all
Catholics. There are 33 Doctors of the
Church.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:January 16, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Sole with Red Wine and Onions

ACTIVITIES

o Practical Suggestions for Christian Living (Holy Eucharist)

PRAYERS

o Collect Prayer for the Feast of St. Marcellus

LIBRARY

o Masses for the Repose of Souls | Fr. William Saunders

· Ordinary Time: January 16th

· Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Marcellus, pope and martyr; St. Honoratus, archbishop (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Marcellus who was elected Pope just at the time when Diocletian had spent somewhat his first violence against the Church. In Rome he reorganized the Catholic hierarchy disrupted by the persecution. Before the reform of the Roman Calendar this was the feast of St. Marcellus, pope and martyr.

Historically today is the feast of St. Honoratus who was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, and came from a distinguished Roman family. After a pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, he became a hermit on the isle of Lerins, where he was joined by Sts Lupus of Troyes (July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (November 16), and Hilary of Arles (May 5), among others.

St. Marcellus
Diocletian's terrible persecution had taken its toll. It was reported that within a period of thirty days, sixteen thousand Christians were martyred. The Church in Rome was left scattered and disorganized, and the Holy See remained vacant for over two years. It wasn't until the ascension of Emperor Maxentius and his policy of toleration that a pope could be chosen. Marcellus, a Roman priest during the reign of Marcellinus, was elected.

The new pope was confronted with enormous problems. His first challenge was to reorganize the badly shaken Church. He is said to have accomplished this by dividing Rome into twenty-five parishes, each with its own priest. The next task was more challenging. Once again a pope was faced with the problem of what to do with the many brethren who had compromised their faith during the reign of Diocletian. Marcellus upheld the doctrine of required penance before absolution. The apostates keenly desired readmission to communion, but they violently opposed the harshness of the penance demanded by the rigorist, Marcellus. Riots broke out throughout the city, and even bloodshed, to the point that Emperor Maxentius intervened. He believed that the pontiff was the root of the problem, and in the interest of peace, he banished Marcellus; the pope died a short time later. Apart from persecution, this was the first time that the secular government was known to have interfered with the Church. There is some confusion whether his body was brought back to Rome or whether he was allowed to return to the Holy See before his death. There is no doubt, however, that he was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Via Salaria.

Symbols: Pope with a donkey or horse nearby; pope standing in a stable.

St. Honoratus
St. Honoratus was of a consular Roman family settled in Gaul. In his youth he renounced the worship of idols, and gained his elder brother, Venantius, to Christ. Convinced of the hollowness of the things of this world, they wished to renounce it with all its pleasures, but a fond pagan father put continual obstacles in their way. At length, taking with them St. Caprais, a holy hermit, for their director, they sailed from Marseilles to Greece, with the intention to live there unknown in some desert.

Venantius soon died happily at Methone, and Honoratus, being also sick, was obliged to return with his conductor. He first led a hermitical life in the mountains near Frejus. Two small islands lie in the sea near that coast; on the smaller, now known as St. Honoré, our Saint settled, and, being followed by others, he there founded the famous monastery of Lerins, about the year 400. Some of his followers he appointed to live in community; others, who seemed more perfect, in separate cells as anchorets. His rule was chiefly borrowed from that of St. Pachomius.

Nothing can be more amiable than the description St. Hilary has given of the excellent virtues of this company of saints, especially of the charity, concord, humility, compunction, and devotion which reigned among them under the conduct of our holy abbot.

He was, by compulsion, consecrated Archbishop of Arles in 426, and died, exhausted with austerities and apostolical labors, in 429.

Excerpted from Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11

1st Week in Ordinary time

Let us strive to enter into that rest. (Hebrews 4:11)

Wait a minute! Aren’t “striving” and “resting” diametrically opposed to each other? How can you strive to be restful?

Perhaps we think about how we feel at the end of a busy day. We have been trying hard to do well at our work and be kind to the people around us. Then comes the end of the day, when we sink into bed exhausted, grateful to stop “striving” for a few hours before it starts over all again. Finally, we can rest!

But this isn’t the kind of “rest” that the writer of Hebrews has in mind. Notice he says that after working the miracle of creation, God rested on the seventh day. Having made all things “very good,” he is now peacefully guiding the world as its history unfolds (Genesis 1:31). He isn’t idle. He is actively sustaining his creation and intervening in billions of people’s lives, urging them to turn to him. And yet God is also at rest, perfectly content as he goes about his work.

This is the kind of “rest” God wants us to experience. He wants us to be at peace with him, at peace with ourselves, and at peace with the people around us. It’s the kind of peace we can experience no matter how many responsibilities, concerns, or chores occupy our minds. But beware. If we drift away from his love and his presence, we risk losing sight of that rest. Anxiety creeps in. Perhaps envy or frustration finds a home, too. We become rest-less.

This is where the “striving” comes in. It’s up to us to stay close to the Lord, to try to think as he thinks, to feel as he feels, and to let go of what doesn’t matter to him.

This may sound like a lot of work, but it’s not meant to be. When an obstacle surfaces, just toss it aside, and breathe a little prayer. In that short breath, draw near to the Lord. Lean on him, and let him bring you back to his peace. Make it a habit of turning to him during the day, and you’ll find yourself more alert to the attitudes and actions that disturb your peace. You’ll find yourself entering into his rest!

“Father, I belong to you. Help me to rely on your strength working in me.”

Psalm 78:3-4, 6-8
Mark 2:1-12

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for January 16, 2015:

“There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12) Which gift does your beloved have in a special way: wisdom, faith, the ability to heal, industriousness, intuition, decision making skills, communication? Affirm him or her.

Regnum Christi

A Man and His Friends

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

January 16, 2015. Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”—he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Introductory Prayer: Jesus, thank you for this time to be with you. I humbly offer you my intention to set all my distractions aside so that I can encounter you, my Lord and my God. I hope in you and know that you could never let me down. I love you and long to love you with all of my strength. Aware of my misery and weakness, I trust in your mercy and love.

Petition: Lord, increase my zeal for souls.

1. The Paralytic: One day, four men carried a friend to Jesus. It made all the difference in the world to the friend, for he was paralyzed and was unable to approach Jesus on his own. He had heard of the miracles Jesus had performed, but had never seen them. His own healing was out of the question: he couldn’t go to Jesus on his own. Had his four friends not stepped in and brought him to Jesus, he would never have been cured. Their faith and love made his healing possible. Who does Jesus want me to bring to him? Do I invite people to prayer and adoration? Do I invite people to Mass and confession?

2. The Four Friends:These four men were not stopped by the obstacles in their way. How long they traveled isn’t mentioned, but even a short distance is tiring when carrying a man on a mat. When they arrived at the house, it was full of people who had traveled to hear and see Jesus and to be cured by him. It was impossible for the men to get inside the house through the door, but they didn’t give up. They didn’t quit. They carried their friend up to the rooftop and lowered him down into the house. By persevering we can achieve anything. Love knows no boundaries or limits.

3. Jesus:God wants to save so many people. He wants to bring real healing into their lives, but he wants to heal them through us. Jesus could have found the paralyzed man. He chose, rather, to let the others bring the man to him. Jesus wanted to heal him, but without the charity in the hearts of the four men, the healing might never have been accomplished. Who does Jesus wish to encounter through me? How can I be a better instrument of his love?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me to realize more deeply that you want me involved in salvation history. I’m on the front lines. You entrust souls to me, and you want to bless their lives through my prayers, my sacrifices and my work. Increase my love for these souls. They need my help and my fidelity. I don’t want to let them down. Help me to be faithful.

Resolution: I will make a sacrifice today for the person most in need of God’s grace.

By Father Paul Campbell, LC

Homily of the Day

January 16, 2015

Don’t you find it amazing that these four men had the imagination, energy and courage to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus by opening the roof above the room? They had to climb the roof to make an opening, then raised the paralyzed man very carefully, making sure he wouldn’t fall and lower him to where Jesus was.

The four men went to great lengths to help this paralyzed man. The gospel says that Jesus “saw the faith of these people.” Faith allows us to persevere and endure difficult and even hazardous inconveniences out of love for God and neighbor.

We know how dedicated mothers can be for their children. We know how we can risk our lives for our loved ones. And Christ gifted us with the ultimate sacrifice of his life out of love for us. And all this was to allow us to be forgiven of our sins so that we could return to the Father in heaven.

Have you ever been loved like this? We are this paralyzed man. Though at times unable to love, to forgive and to do good, yet the Lord forgives us because Christ died for our sins and redeemed us, bailed us out! Indeed, the Lord loves us. He has carried us like these four men and brings us a renewed spirit of love. Let us be grateful and happy for we now can pick up our mat, cured and forgiven.

One Bread, One Body

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Hebrews 4:1-5, 11
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Psalm 78:3-4, 6-8

Mark 2:1-12
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MAKE LIKE A HELICOPTER

"They began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door." —Mark 2:2

In the Gospels, especially in Mark's Gospel, we read about Jesus being surrounded by such large crowds that it was almost impossible to approach Him. Consequently, some people thought up various ways to get through, around, or over the crowds. They stepped on one another (Lk 12:1), pushed each other (Mk 3:10), climbed a tree (Lk 19:4), and even made a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was staying (Mk 2:4).

There can often be major obstacles between us and Jesus. The media, our jobs, our lifestyles, and the whole culture of death can crowd us out of a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus. We need:

stretcher bearers, that is, intercessors, to carry us around and over the crowd to Jesus (see Mk 2:3ff),
to look foolish and take risks so as to get to Jesus (see Mk 2:4),
our sins forgiven (Mk 2:5), and
to make a stand for Jesus (Mk 2:11).

By faith, make like a helicopter. Get over the crowd. Get to Jesus no matter what it takes.

Prayer: Father, make me want to be close to Jesus more than I want to live.

Promise: "Let us strive to enter into that rest." —Heb 4:11

Praise: Strong temptations have prompted Lawrence to turn to God more often, and victory over them has strengthened his will and his faith.