1. It’s very hard for people to admit sinfulness and even more so to confess those sins. So we grow WEARY of life because sin makes it burdensome. But today we are reminded that what God wants most of all is to forgive those sins and bring us back into love with Him.
2. In the 1st reading, the prophet Isaiah is in Babylon encouraging his fellow sufferers with words of hope. It appears the ‘TIME’ is ripe and God is about to act after 70 years of exile.
So Isaiah, speaking for God and referring to great things He did for them in the past, opened with the words “ … remember not the former things…”. In times of exile, the weary Jews rejoiced heartily at the times God showed them his love. The Exodus from Egypt was among the greatest of these past favors. Now, God was about to unveil a show of FAVOR as He says “Behold, I am doing a new thing…”. And while they didn’t see it now, or perceive that it was happening, IT WAS. In their weariness He was about to give them, for their own good, a 2nd Exodus. In this Newest favor, he would ‘Set them Free’ from Babylon.
As it happened, of course in God’s Good Time, Persia under King Cyrus, came and destroyed Babylon and allowed the Israelites to go home. Yet in SIMILAR fashion as in the Exodus from Egypt, they would again have to journey across a water deprived, empty desert. Today He tells them, He would make safe their travel. The journey would be secure with the water needed to save their lives.
3. In giving that favor, God still reprimands Israel for its’ negligence and unfaithfulness in the past. He reminded them how many times they DID NOT call on Him, or DID NOT rely on Him, but instead trusted the help of pagans. For it was in the breaking of the covenant, they lost their freedom and were sent into exile.
— – Know though, God too WEARIED at their unfaithfulness. So He worked all the harder, to bring the Israelites to himself and this time, He will not only bring them back, He would forgive them their sins. For by his design, they have a big part to play in the final liberation of all mankind. Then too, God will pardon the transgressions of all, not because we deserve this favor of mercy, but ‘For His Own Sake’, He wants to reveal His great FORGIVENESS.
– The event yet to come, that will be revealed by the Jews and will be the beginning of this Great act of Forgiveness and Exodus for all —is the INCARNATION.
4. In Marks Gospel, from the first moments of Jesus ministry, we see Him working to reveal this truth of our Salvation; That He is God and Man. And up to this point in the Gospel, we see the people had come to believe Jesus was a MAN, POWERFUL in Godly Words and Deeds. But now, at Peter’s Home with a bigger, more prestigious crowd of people he would give them the opportunity to believe in Him as GOD. As the unnamed men bring the unnamed PARALYTIC to Jesus, he in a threefold approach, reveals 1st that he as man has divine nature to FORGIVE SINS. For the people believed only God could do. So then He physically confirms this power of Forgiving Sins by HEALING the paralytic man. These Godly feats are accomplished by Jesus, as only God can do with the SPOKEN word.
5. The truths revealed in the Gospel story of the cure of the Paralytic run deep. There is the Incarnation, but there is also the truth of what Sin does to us and how it must be handled. The importance of the cure of the Paralytic is NOT that he was actually cured of this Human malady, but as a METAPHOR for those individuals who are PARALYZED by sin. This spiritual Paralytic, is a person who has gotten to that point, where they can’t even help themselves by God’s Grace, to seek God’s mercy. So now he needs the assistance of Friends and loved ones to break out of SIN, DESPAIR, PAIN and even FEAR, that keep them separated from God.
Some think the Paralytic is you and me. Some think the 4 men of the Gospel were Peter, Andrew, James & John. This would be symbolic of the CHURCH lead by the Bishops as being responsible to make sure all people in this life Paralyzed by Sin are brought to Jesus to receive God’s Mercy.
6. Lent begins this next week. In our WEARINESS it is a good time to reflect and take action on the TRUTHS the readings present to us.
1st: TRUTH: know God grew weary of our unfaithfulness and has always took the initiative to bring us back into a covenantal relationship here on earth, but eventually to bring us back to our heavenly home.
2nd TRUTH: accept the fact that God continues this strong desire to extend His mercy to us, but only to us through Jesus and now His church.
And the 3rd TRUTH: we must come to the church and bring others to take advantage of the ways that the church brings us to Jesus’ mercy. Realize that this DIVINE Mercy and care is especially present in the Sacraments of BAPTISM, CONFESSION and EUCHARST.
Remember this Wednesday, the time is RIPE for GOD TO ACT. When He does, you will be AMAZED and you too will GLORIFY God.
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