By Colleen O’Sullivan
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.” (Mark 2:1-5)
Piety
For your nearness I am hoping
For your nearness Lord I long
Have no need of any other
I have found where I belong
Yes, I have found where I belong
(from Draw Me Nearer, lyrics
by Meredith Andrews)
Study
People come home every day – from shopping, from school, from work – and
no crowds gather at their doors. So what
was it about Jesus? The moment word got
out that he was back in Capernaum, he was besieged with visitors! I’ve often wondered what it was about him that
so attracted others. All he had to do
was visit someone’s place of work, like a boat at the edge of the sea, and he would
have that person leaving it all behind to follow him.
I thought about this a couple of years ago when John Michael Talbot came
for a 3-day mission at my parish. I went
the first night because I love his music and hoped to hear him play the guitar
and sing, and also because I was curious about what led him to embrace his
lifestyle and found the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion
Hermitage in Berryville, Arkansas. I got
the music I was longing for. I left not
knowing much more about his life story than I knew going in. But when I walked out of that church, I felt
like I might have had a glimpse of what it was about Jesus that captivated
others and won their hearts. John
Michael Talbot was one of the most convincing speakers I’ve ever heard. He spoke from his heart and with great sincerity. His joy-filled faith and love for God shone
forth in every sentence. He had my
undivided attention to such an extent that had he asked me to do something, I
think I would have said yes with no hesitation.
Maybe that’s what Jesus was like. When people looked into his eyes, perhaps they
saw reflected there the great love, compassion and mercy God has for all of us.
Maybe what Jesus preached had that firm ring
of conviction that struck a chord with his listeners. People may have gathered round because they
felt themselves in the presence of holy joy.
Perhaps they found healing and forgiveness with Jesus, as did the
paralytic in today’s Gospel reading. Whatever
it was, people wanted to be with him.
Mark tells us that the paralytic and his friends wanted to see Jesus so
badly they climbed up on the roof of the house where he was, knocked a hole in
it and got to the Lord in that dramatic manner.
Action
What about you? How much do you
long to experience Jesus’ presence? He’s
always there waiting for us. All we need
to do is carve out some quiet time and open the eyes and ears of our hearts to
see and hear him.
If you’re having difficulty praying, you might want to consider
spiritual direction. If you’re thinking
about doing that, a good, short article to read can be found on the dotMAGIS
blog at http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/20323/waking-up-through-spiritual-direction/.
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