Author: admin

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Gospel: Luke 5: 17-26

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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When celebrating the anointing of the sick, I often read today’s Gospel.

There’s a man who’s paralyzed, laying at the feet of Jesus. Everyone surrounding him is waiting to see what Jesus will do. How will he heal this man?

But Jesus just looks at him and says, “Your sins are forgiven.”

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On the surface, it seems like an incredible let down. Four of this man’s friends have just dragged him on a stretcher, pushed him on top of their neighbor’s roof, ripped the roof open, and lowered him to the feet of Jesus.

After all that effort, all he gets from Jesus is forgiveness? What’s the point when he’s laying on the floor paralyzed?

In the mind of God, the forgiveness of sins is more important than the physical state of our bodies, which is why Jesus offers this man forgiveness before physical healing.

While the body lasts for a number of years, the soul endures for eternity.

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Like the paralytic, I’m sure many of us have approached Jesus asking for some type of physical healing before – delivery from cancer, a speedy recovery from COVID, or protection against the flu.  

While the Lord grants such physical healing, today the Lord is turning our attention beneath the surface, to sickness in spirit. Am I in need of the Lord’s healing or forgiveness?

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Join us tomorrow night at 7 pm for our Advent penance service with Eucharistic adoration. We will have several priests here willing to extend those sacred words of Jesus, which he says to the paralytic:

“Your sins are forgiven.”

Rise and go home.

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Image credits: (1) Quotefancy (2) Christ Healing the Paralytic at Bethsaida, Palma il Giovane (3) www.stmarystars.org

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Gospel: Luke 3: 1-6

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, 
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis, 
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, 
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, 
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
    A voice of one crying out in the desert:
    “Prepare the way of the Lord,
        make straight his paths.
    Every valley shall be filled
        and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
    The winding roads shall be made straight,
        and the rough ways made smooth,
    and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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The other day, I drove to CVS. As I was exiting my car, I noticed a large, white suburban parked next to me with several bumper stickers plastered on the back. One of them read:

“Not driving under the influence. Just avoiding potholes!”

To me, there’s something very “New Jersey” about that – the honesty, the humor, and yes, the potholes. Sometimes stretches of the Turnpike resemble a slice of Swiss cheese more than an actual road.

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But rough roads are nothing new. In fact, the roads today are much smoother than they’ve been historically.

In the ancient world, roads were terribly uneven. They were often constructed with large stones or left unpaved, leaving wide gaps and potholes along the way.

One of the few times roads were paved was when a king was passing through.

Prior to visiting a town, he’d send a messenger ahead of him, alerting the villagers of his impending arrival. It was their responsibility to fill in the gaps in the road, making his journey as comfortable as possible.

A smooth road was a sign of welcome.

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This is the action that John the Baptist is urging in today’s Gospel. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, he says, “Prepare the way of the LORD, make straight his paths…Winding roads shall be made straight and rough ways made smooth.”

Jesus, our king, desires to visit us. John is announcing his coming. Now is the time to prepare for his arrival.

So, where are the potholes in my life? What makes it difficult for the Lord to enter more deeply into my heart?

There may be damage caused by mistakes or poor judgment. But, often enough, what impedes the Lord is simply the tension caused by daily life – the potholes of technology, mental health, work, anxiety, laziness, and the stress of the holidays.

These things distract us from prayer and from contemplating the deeper realities of our faith.

Advent is the time for us to pause, to ponder, to go deeper, to begin filling those holes.

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This Tuesday night at 7 pm, we will celebrate an Advent penance service, along with Eucharistic Adoration. It’s the perfect opportunity to prepare the way of the Lord, making straight his path.

Perhaps you desire to hear those words of Jesus, “I absolve you.” Maybe you just need a quiet moment with the Lord. Either way, come and experience his love.

As our parish vision statement reminds us, we are, “All generations journeying together with Jesus to satisfy our hungry hearts. Come and see!”

Come and journey with us this Advent. Come, prepare the way of the Lord.

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I can still see that bumper sticker on the back of that white suburban: “Not driving under the influence. Just avoiding potholes!”

But as Christians we are, in a sense, under the influence of the Holy Sprit, who enables us not only to avoid those pot holes, but also to fill them in.

As we journey together this Advent, may we all prepare the way of the Lord, making straight his path.

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Image credits: (1) Navajo Times (2) National Gallery of Art (3) Orthodox Christian Network

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A businessman once approached Mark Twain with a false sense of piety and said: 

“Before I die, I intend to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I want to climb to the top of Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud.”

To which Twain responded, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you stay right at home in Boston and keep them?”

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier, a priest of the 16^th century who travelled extensively throughout Asia, baptizing over 40,000 people.

While that’s a remarkable feat, baptism was simply the first day of these Christians’ journeys. 

Like that businessman from Boston, they’d be challenged to not only accept the faith, but also to live it out day by day.

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We face the same challenge.

As we move further into this season of Advent, how is the Lord inviting me to live my faith in a deeper way?

Maybe that means becoming more aware of other’s needs. For example, most of us don’t need another sweater or an extra pair of socks for Christmas. 

But there are plenty who do. 

What if we spend more on the poor than on those with plenty this Christmas?

Or maybe we’re being invited to grow in patience; to be intentional about letting go of a grudge or a lingering habit; or more deliberate about spending time in prayer.

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As Mark Twain might say, “Whatever the Lord is inviting us to do, why don’t we stay right here and do it.”

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