Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: 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 him,
“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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him.”

Sometimes a simple history lesson helps to bring these biblical stories to life. If we imagined four friends trying to pull a “Santa Claus,” sending a paralyzed friend either down the chimney or through some manufactured hole in the roof, we’d laugh incredulously.

There’s no way such a story could be true.

So, how did these four besties successfully get their friend lowered to the feet of Jesus?

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In ancient Palestine, humble homes were not only small; they also had flat roofs, which provided extra space. Often, there was a small staircase outside leading to that roof. 

The roof itself was constructed out of wooden beams spaced roughly three feet apart. The empty space between them was filled with brush and clay. This is how the men broke a hole in their neighbor’s roof, allowing their friend to reach the feet of Jesus.

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Notice, the first thing the Lord says before physically healing the man is, “Your sins are forgiven.”

In the ancient world, Jews associated suffering with sin; if you were a sinful person, then God punished you with pain. Thus, when the Lord says, “Your sins are forgiven,” he’s saying, “Do not worry. God is not angry with you.”

It’s the same thing Pope Francis is trying to teach Catholics today. God is not angry with us; rather, he loves us intensely. Whenever we find ourselves like this man – “paralyzed” by sin – we should simply approach the Lord and ask for his merciful healing.

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The Lord always says to us in the confessional what he said in that Palestinian person’s home: 

“Child, your sins are forgiven… Rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”

How beautiful it’d be to hear those words today.

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Image credits: (1)Aaron Spong, Pixels (2) Letter Pile (3) Scars of Faith, Facebook

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Gospel: Mark 1: 40-45

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Throughout history, perhaps the most brutal medical diagnosis was leprosy. It could last up to thirty years as a person’s skin slowly rotted away and their limbs fell off from their body. Eventually, lepers died after slipping into a coma, totally alone.

In the middle ages, priests would even process with a stole and a crucifix into church, leading a crew of lepers. Once inside, he would offer a funeral service for them even though they were still alive.

After the service, lepers were required to dress in black. They were both dead and alive.

If they ever wanted to see a church service again, lepers would have to peer through a crack in the wall from the outside.

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This is the context behind today’s Gospel passage, revealing the heart of Christ.

A leper breaks the Law by running up to Jesus. Instead of scolding him, or scurrying away in fear, the Lord engages him. 

Then he does the unfathomable: Jesus touches him. “I do will it,” Jesus says to this leper, “be made clean.”

Although the leper is cured, technically the Lord is now the one who’s ritually impure because of the contact. He cannot even enter his own Father’s house. 

But to prove this man is no longer impure, Jesus orders him to go back to the Temple, showing himself to the priests.

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In this remarkable scene, we discover several things about the heart of Jesus: First, his compassion is boundless. There’s nothing he will not do to save a soul, even if that means breaking the Law.

However, in sending the cleansed man back to the Temple, the Lord also demonstrates his respect for Old Testament rituals.

There’s a balance here between divine power, compassion, and tradition.

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So, what does this mean for us?

While it’s important to follow the laws inherent in religion (and the Church has many), in the end, compassion reigns supreme.

There’s nothing we should not do to save a soul, even if it means breaking the Law.

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Image credits: (1) Christianity.com (2) Gloryinthemorning.com (3) The Central Minnesota Catholic

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Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, 
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons 
throughout the whole of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel describes a full day in the life of Jesus.

We begin mid-morning. Jesus leaves the synagogue, having just cast out an unclean spirit – his first public miracle in Mark’s Gospel. 

“After lunch,” he enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. Then word spreads fast enough for crowds to start gathering around him, so the Lord continues his healing work well after sunset.

I’d imagine by the end of the night, he was exhausted.

But the Gospel tells us that the next morning he rose, “very early before dawn,” where he went off on his own to a deserted place to pray. I’d imagine Jesus began each day that way – up early in prayer.

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Prayer is also meant to sustain our own spiritual lives.

The Lord reminds us the best time to do it is “very early before dawn,” before the stress, demands, and weight of other commitments compete for our time. It’s like having a spiritual cup of coffee.

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Like the Lord, have I tried praying, “very early before dawn?” And what is my prayer life like?

Often it changes over time. Some weeks, even months or longer, might be spent in silence; other moments can be filled with scripture study, spiritual reading, uplifting music, journaling, or heart-to-heart sharing with the Lord.

Over time, a certain peace settles in which cannot be taken away, leading us to discover what the Lord models for us today – prayer is our deepest source of strength. 

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Take a moment of silence now. Allow the Lord to “fill your cup” with grace so that you might know, love, and do his will today.

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Image credits: (1) A Day in the Life of Jesus, YouTube (2) Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law, John Bridges (3) Chmeetings