Word to the Wise
Monday, December 10, 2018 - 2nd Week of Advent - Mon
[Isa 35:1-10 and Luke 5:17-26]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] "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. [Luke]
Jesus' power to forgive sins and to heal is on full display in the gospel scene today from the Gospel According to Luke. His power is a sign of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah which forms our first scripture for today. But there is more for our consideration - the stretcher-bearers!
The fulfillment of God's promise has almost always required some human cooperation. In this case, caring friends bring a paralyzed friend to Jesus. They do not let the crowd stop them. They take the paralytic on the stretcher up on the roof and tear off the tiles to let him down into the room! (I remind engineering students that this image is a good one for them!) One of my Dominican brothers, now deceased, when reflecting on this story pointed out that sometimes it takes a community to bring someone to Jesus. Many are the university students I have known who came back to church because they meet some dedicated Christian friends who invite them and overcome their "paralysis" by inviting them to be a part of the community. The stretcher-bearers truly "prepared the way of the Lord" by bringing their friend to Jesus. They cooperated in the fulfillment of God's promise. Although this is something we can do year round, can we make a special effort this Advent to bring a "paralyzed" friend to our community of faith? What a gift that could be! AMEN