HOMILY FOR FRIDAY 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [YEAR B]
THEME: FAITH OF RELIABLE FRIENDS.
BY: FR. KARABARI PAUL
‘And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralysed..’
One way to help our friends in crisis is to help them identify important resources; spiritual, personal, economic and interpersonal. In today’s Gospel (Mark 2:1-12), we see the story of a paralysed man being healed. In the middle of it, there was a bunch of cynics. While Jesus was in the process of healing a man, they could be found grumbling away, wondering how that fitted with their theology. It is so easy to focus on whatever we find wrong about any given situation. As Christians, we have a God who tramples over cynicism to change lives. We must help people and not hinder them if we can’t help them.
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When the people carrying their paralysed friend arrived at the house where Jesus was preaching, the crowd was so big that they couldn’t get to Him. So they have a choice to make: give up, or persist and find a way through. That is when they decide to climb up and dig through the tiles (roof) above Jesus’head. And they finally break through.
These people were determined in their approach. They didn’t just have faith – they had faith in action! They had come to see Jesus, and they refused to be denied. As they dug through the roof, they believed they were only a few feet away from a miracle, and they weren’t about to be put off. Knowing that is what kept them going. So, no matter what you have to do today, let nothing stop you from getting to Jesus. You are closer to a breakthrough than you realise, so keep digging and don’t stop until you get in.
Again, our faith shouldn’t just push us. Our faith should help others and not hinder them. It took four friends to carry the man to Jesus. He could never have got there without them. Sometimes, we really need people’s help to bring us back to the truth that there really is a God who cares. Sometimes, we need to be the one carrying someone else. That is why we have other people. But that is also why we have to be real with each other, about the times when it feels like we are trapped, unable to escape. It is not enough to look for good friends, try to be one to others too. The friends of the paralysed man didn’t abandon him. They came through for him when it was mostly needed.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul tells us to ’carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (Galatians 6:2). Helping each other out is a part of us living like Jesus. No matter how strong we try to be, we develop much stronger relationships when we are able to be weak in front of each other. Only when we share our burdens can we reach a situation where we can actually help, and get help.
Lessons: 1) We must be aware of the needs of our friends. They may look like they have ‘got it all together’, yet inwardly be lying on a stretcher. When they are alone they cry out, ‘God, unless you help me I am finished.’ They are hurting, desperate, and powerless, and they know it. Let us not assume they are fine. 2) You must not let them down. Committing to bring somebody to Jesus means picking them up, refusing to let them down, and carrying them the whole way. It means comforting, encouraging, and holding them securely until He touches them. 3) You must allow Jesus to do it His way. Often hurting people don’t know what they need – but Jesus does. So once you get them there, back off and let Him work. When we have been in church a while we tend to look for outward signs of change. But Jesus recognised that this man’s first need was for forgiveness: ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you’. After that He addressed the man’s second need: ‘Rise, take up your bed and go home!’ Don’t dismiss God’s tendency to work in ways that don’t make sense to you. He knows what He is doing, and He never does anything by half-measures. Once He starts working on somebody, He will ‘keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish’ (Philippians 1:6). GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world and land, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning
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