One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
In today’s Gospel, a group of friends go far together. Physically, they may only have traveled a few hundred feet. But spiritually, they do whatever it takes to lay their friend before Jesus. Together, they move the mountain of this man’s paralysis, forever changing his life.
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During this holiday season, we’re all reminded of the power of teamwork and intercession. Together, we can move mountains of poverty, loneliness, sickness, isolation, and ignorance, transforming people’s burdens into blessings.
Think of a person in need – much like this man paralyzed in today’s Gospel – and imagine ways you can bring them before Jesus, beginning with interceding on their behalf.
You’ll certainly brighten their day. And who knows, you may even move a mountain, forever changing their life.
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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
May we continue our Advent journeys together.
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Image credits: (1) LinkedIn (2) Lumo on X (Twitter) (3) LinkedIn
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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While the Titanic was cruising in the northern Atlantic on that fateful night in 1912, another ship, the Californian, was sailing only a few miles away.
The captain of that ship saw icebergs off in the distance so he reversed his course. Although he signaled the Titanic about the danger ahead, that captain was too distracted by other passengers to notice.
So, the two ships, in the words of Longfellow, “passed as ships in the night.”
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During the Christmas season, it’s easy to feel like we’re onboard two different ships.
Markets are bustling with activity, while the Church observes the quiet waiting of Advent.
A jolly Santa Claus tells us to be merry, while John the Baptist tells us to, “repent.”
By December 26th, gifts are unwrapped and Christmas trees are often taken down, while the Church celebrates Christmas for nearly two more weeks, until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
This season can feel like two ships passing in the night.
Perhaps we’re being invited to find the right balance, to enjoy the anticipation of the season, the gift-giving, the time spent with family and friends, while also challenging ourselves to go deeper, to make room for the Christ-child, the reason for the season.
So, what might the Lord be saying to us in today’s Gospel?
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Mark’s Gospel is often called, “the Gospel of beginnings,” because it’s the first word he uses to tell his story.
“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”
Mark uses this verb begin nine times to describe the life and ministry of Jesus. What Mark never says is that our Lord stopped doing these actions; meaning, everything Jesus does is meant to continue through us.
So, which of these “beginnings” is the Lord inviting us to continue?
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The first is immediate: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”
Mark starts his Gospel by echoing the Book of Genesis. The first Christians would’ve made an instant connection: in Jesus, God is doing something new – he is creating a new order, a new creation, a new start for all who believe.
Perhaps one of us is in need of a new beginning. Turn to the Lord this Advent, who “makes all things new.”
In chapter 4, Mark describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, saying, he “began to teach by the sea.” Aren’t we all being called to continue that effort, sharing our faith with others in the workplace, in our social circles, in the open, by the sea, as it were?
Then, Jesus, “began teaching in the synagogue.” Perhaps the Lord is tapping you on the shoulder, inviting you to continue teaching our youth as a catechist in this house of worship.
Later, Jesus, “begins driving out those selling and buying in the Temple area.” Aren’t we all being cautioned to guard our hearts against all greed?
While walking through an open field, the disciples, “begin to pick heads of grain and to eat on the Sabbath.” Is the Lord calling you to feed the hungry this holiday season?
Finally, in the Garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest, Jesus pulls Peter, James, and John aside as he, “begins to be troubled and distressed.”
Maybe we, too, feel that way – troubled and distressed. Turn to the Lord, who proclaims through the prophet Isaiah, “Comfort, I will comfort my people.”
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Mark also uses this word, begin, to describe things that are contrary to the work of Jesus.
For example, when Jesus predicts his crucifixion and death, Peter pulls him aside and, “begins to rebuke him.” Don’t we find ourselves in Peter’s shoes at times, resisting the Lord’s will, unwilling to accept the future?
Later, the mother of the Apostles James and John asks Jesus for a special favor, to allow her sons to sit on his right and his left. When the other Apostles find out about this, they, “become indignant.” Outraged.
The Apostles provide a cautionary tale – do not be jealous of what others ask for or have.
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The two ships, the Titanic and the Californian, “passed as ships in the night.”
While it’s easy for us to feel like we’re being pulled in two different directions this holiday season, may we find the right balance – shopping and celebrating, while also digging deeper to encounter the Lord, the author of new beginnings.
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Image credits: (1) Wildhive (2) Pinterest (3) Joy M. Mills
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate our belief that Mary was conceived without sin. For this reason, she becomes a worthy dwelling place of the Lord, who comes to us as child this Christmas.
Our need for redemption is rooted in the story of Adam of Eve, who disobeyed God while dwelling in the Garden of Eden, as we heard in our first reading.
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It began when Satan convinced Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. Eve then shared that fruit with Adam. While Satan promised Eve possession of all knowledge, all that she and Adam learned is that they were naked.
This is the marquee tactic of the devil – making false promises.
In Eve’s case, Satan promised wisdom, sophistication, power, and maturity. She could be like God! It sounded so good, until she and Adam realized they were “naked” – broken, disconnected from one another, and estranged from God.
The impact of that decision still bears fruit today. How many people feel “naked” – alone, unhappy, disconnected from others, even from God?
As Saint Augustine reminds us, “Our hearts are restless, O LORD, until they rest in you.”
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Was all of this Eve’s fault? Or does Adam share some of the blame?
In Genesis, chapter 2, God commands Adam to “work and guard” the Garden of Eden. It was Adam’s responsibility to protect it. Eve didn’t let the snake in; it seems Adam did, either by choice or, more likely, by negligence.
This is how temptation often enters our hearts, when we’re “negligent”; when we let our guard down. As Jesus will later say in the Gospels: “Stay awake! Be alert! Watch!”
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The trickery of Satan in the Garden of Eden leads to the first prophecy given about the Virgin Mary’s birth: “I will put enmity between you and the woman,” the Lord says in Genesis, “between your seed and her seed.”
The sin of Satan’s “seed” never enters the Virgin Mary because she’s conceived without sin. This is what the Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates. As the angel Gabriel will say years later to Mary when he appears to her, “Hail, favored one!”
In the original Greek, Gabriel’s proclamation, “Hail, favored one!” is a single word: kecharitomene. It’s only used once in the entire bible – at the Annunciation – making it even more important…and difficult to translate with precision.
Some scholars have translated the angel’s words not as, “Hail, favored one,” but, “Hail, full of grace that will come.”
Such a translation makes sense when trying to understand the dogma of the Immaculate Conception because Mary’s conception without sin was only possible because of her redemption, which will be won by Jesus at the Cross.
“The power of the Most High will overshadow you,” Gabriel tells her. This term, “overshadow,” is used only four times in the Old Testament – most notably in the Book of Exodus, when the glory of God overshadows the tabernacle of Moses.
Just as God journeyed with the Jews in the desert by dwelling in the tabernacle, so now God will become fully present through his Son, dwelling in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. Again, she is only worthy to be the dwelling place of the Lord because she was conceived without sin.
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Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel is one of surrender. “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”
Here we find the path to holiness for every believer. Holiness is not trying to do the Lord’s will while gritting our teeth; holiness is surrendering our future – in fact, our very selves – to the Lord in trust and humility.
This type of obedience stands in contrast to the sin of Adam and Eve, who believed they no longer had a need for God; they believed eating the forbidden fruit would make them happier people. In hindsight we see just how wrong they were.
Yet how many of us still struggle to surrender, placing our entire lives into the hands of God, as if we’d somehow be happier living life on our own?
As we continue our journey towards Christmas, what does it look like for me to surrender – to obey the Lord – as Mary did?
Doing so always leads to life in abundance.
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Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) The Immaculate Conception, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (2) Biblical Archeological Society (3) EWTN.com
