Monday of the Second Week of Advent:
Today’s Gospel reading is a classic: Jesus healed the paralytic. It’s one of the earlier instances of Christ exercising His divine authority to heal and forgive. This miracle is certainly the highlight of today’s reading. Even Church Father Irenaeus, in his Against Heresies, cites it in defense of Christ’s divinity. Yet, that’s not what stood out to me today.
.png?width=300&height=300&name=Advent%20Blog%20Photos%20(1).png)
The paralytic did not make his way to Jesus himself. He had four friends lower him on a stretcher through the roof, for the crowd was too large for them to walk in. Imagine this: these men, for the sake of their friend, carried him over a crowd, broke down the roof, and lowered him down to Jesus, for they knew only Jesus had the power to heal him. What a great blessing it is for one to have such great friends willing to surmount obstacle after obstacle for their sake.
Not so long ago, I was reading 20th-century priest and writer Thomas Merton’s autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain. It’s a deeply personal and realistic telling of his life and conversion. One thing that stood out to me is that, as Merton reflects on despondent moments of his life from a newfound Catholic lens, he often asks “Who prayed for me?” He continues, “It
was through the prayers of someone who loved God that I was, one day, to be delivered out of that hell.” What a humbling thought. Perhaps like Merton and the paralytic, there are times when friends, prayers, and support are the only things that can help us.
We’ve all encountered paralysis in some way, that feeling of despondence and inability to get to a better place on our own. Whether we are the paralytic or his helping friend, as Christians we are still called to bring each other up (or down in this case!) through prayer and action in hopes that one day, others may do the same for us. As we prepare for the birth of Jesus this Advent season, we should seek to imitate Him and ask not what others can do for us, but what we can do for others. A classic hymn comes to mind, “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.”
