Reflection for January 12, Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 2:1-12

Gospel: Mark 2:1-12

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.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” 

Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” –he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” 

He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

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Reflection:

Would you be willing to help someone in need? 

We can gain a lot of valuable insights in today’s gospel reading, insights about faith by the four men who brought to Jesus the paralytic. Insights about forgiveness of our sins and spiritual as well as physical healing. 

However, there are two more insights that we can learn in this gospel. Insight on humility; the four that brought the paralytic to Jesus were so humble that they immediately evaporated after they’ve brought the sick man to Jesus. They did not care if they would be recognized for their heroic act. The four men obviously had no bloated egos. So unlike many of us who always want to be recognized and seen whenever we do good for our others. 

The other insight that we can learn here is to be more sensitive to the needs of those who are in greater need than us. Sometimes we are so concerned about our own needs that we tend to forget the greater need of others. Hence, we become very selfish instead of selfless. 

The four humble men were selfless, perhaps they were also in need of Jesus. But they saw that the paralytic was in greater need than them and need to be immediately healed by Jesus. They’ve sacrificed their own need to address the pressing need of the paralytic. They channeled every ounce of their energies so that they could help the paralytic, even opening up the roof of the house to bring him down in front of Jesus. 

Would you also be willing to help someone in need? – Marino J. Dasmarinas