In Front of Jesus
Piety
Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense, he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Isaiah 35:3-6A
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." Luke 5:18-20
Study
What would you and your friends do to get in front of Jesus?
In this second week of Advent, we hear an interesting mixture of promises from the Hebrew Bible and examples of how Jesus, in the Good News, fulfills those promises. (The time shift seems disjointed…we are waiting for Jesus but also get a look of what is to come.)
Today, Isaiah paints a picture of a world redeemed by a healing God. The Luke witnesses how that comes to pass as Jesus heals the paralytic (“…Then will the lame leap like a stag.”).[i]
The scene Luke portrays was controlled chaos with the focus on chaos, not control. People are coming from every village knowing that the power of the Lord for healing was offered. The Group Reunion of friends who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus for healing could not get past the crowd. Pushing and shoving. Shoving and pushing.
Those who were there first were none too happy when these feisty friends cut in line and then cut a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to the feet of Jesus.
In front of Jesus, the man was healed. But more so. Jesus not only healed the paralyzed man physically, but he took the occasion to show the great glory and splendor of God that is described so eloquently in the first reading. By healing not only his body but forgiving his sins, Jesus taught the crowd, which included the Pharisees, that God is more generous than we expect.
The notes in the NABRE explain that the connection between the forgiveness of sins and the cure of the paralytic reflects the belief of first-century Palestine (based on the Old Testament: Ex 20:5; Dt 5:9) that sickness and infirmity are the result of sin, one’s own or that of one’s ancestors.
Action
Finding intimacy with God in the midst of the Beltway, K Street, final exams, Tysons Corner, job interviews, a broken-down Metro system, hospital visits, and a crowded unemployment line is tough. Our Advent starts with getting in touch with our own needs and desires. The paralytic man sought healing. What do you seek? Once we know what we need, we have to them let go and let Jesus take over. He enters the Advent world offering us what the world cannot give.
Fr. James Martin, SJ, reminds us that Jesus was (and IS) a real person who came into real time and a real place and encountered real people like the paralytic man. Advent is about our time waiting for God to reenter into history.
Can you allow God to enter into your own personal history?
Kathy Martin asks us, “What “roof” in our lives needs to have a hole torn through it so that Jesus can be reached?”
When you are in front of Jesus, what will you ask?
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