Gospel: Mark 2:1-12
After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word spread that He was at home. So many gathered there that there was no room left, not even outside the door. Jesus began to preach the word to them. At that moment, they brought to Him a paralyzed man carried by four people. But because of the crowd, they could not get close to Jesus. So they went up onto the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying through the opening. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Some of the scribes who were sitting there thought to themselves, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus immediately knew what they were thinking and asked them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.” The man got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of everyone. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Fruit: Increase love and giving towards others.
Guidelines for reflection:
The gospel presents us with the miracles of Jesus that flow from His immense love. On this occasion, it shows us Jesus’ priorities: What matters most to Him during His time in this world?
1. Jesus Christ always listens
Let us try to imagine the scene from the gospel: Jesus arrives in Capernaum, and the people come to hear Him. Everyone, young and old, wants to listen to His words, be close to Him, see His gestures, feel His touch… Quickly, the sick, women, and children gather around where Jesus is. The house is so crowded that not even a pin can fit, and doors and windows are packed. At that moment, they bring a paralytic and try to get him as close to Jesus as possible. But the crowd is large, and they cannot reach the door. What to do? When we ardently desire to achieve something, we always come up with ways to reach our goal. The friends of the paralytic look for the only way to bring him closer to Jesus: they dismantle part of the roof and carefully lower the stretcher with the paralytic on it. Jesus, a compassionate heart, does not just stop at attending to the paralytic. He values the faith of these men. He has seen a generous act, and He comments on it, sharing it with others. What an example for us: to praise, value, and spread the good actions we see every day!
2. His priority: the holistic well-being of the person
Jesus Christ always rewards our effort. He knows, better than anyone, what is in our hearts: our desires to love Him, to be charitable with others, to be a support for our family, an example for friends. He is not indifferent to our struggles, and He always rewards us, here and in the afterlife. The first reward He gives to the leper is the forgiveness of his sins. He did not come as a miracle worker, but as a redeemer. He wants to save man by changing him from the root, from the heart. It is not enough to cure the surface of an orange or one of its rotten oranges if the sap flowing through it remains damaged and lifeless; it is better to heal the sap, to renew the person from the heart, so that he produces healthy, vibrant fruits. What do I seek in my life when I do good to others? To heal an orange, or to renew the sap of that orange tree? If I seek the first, I might recover one or two dozen oranges; if I work for the second, I can save the entire tree and the trees that grow from it. That is what Jesus did: He changed the hearts of fishermen, simple men of the people, and they began to bear fruit, filling the world with color and knowledge, with the color and flavor that life gives when lived with purpose, with a goal that transcends death.
Purpose: Find a concrete way to help my family grow together in love for God.
