Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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 strength of the Spirit
1. From every region. Jesus continues to summon us. Today, all sorts of people are looking for God in many different regions. Present day ‘regions’ include people who are very devout and very religious, people who are somewhat religious, people who know nothing about God but are looking for something, people who are not religious but are superstitious, people who have had something happen in their lives and have found God, and still other people that know nothing of religion, but they have gotten to know God through hardship in their lives. Which ‘region’ do you come from?
2. Bringing. The task that all Christians must undertake is to form friendships and bring friends to God. You must accept the burden of the people who face obstacles, who are beaten in life, and help them. In the season of Advent, Christians must take advantage of the opportunity to live generously. It is important to give not only material things, but also your time and your company, listening to others. We must be generous with the people around us who have been hit hard during the year. Give them strength and lead them to God. He will always help.
3. Rise and walk. God never abandons us. He wants to heal you, so you are able to walk again, but sometimes the burdens of life make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. This may lead you to feel the desire of giving up. But God wants to give you the spark of strength that is needed to continue. Do not falter. Get up and walk! Walk towards Bethlehem.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
