THE LORD IS COMING TO RESTORE US IN CHRIST

20161205 THE LORD IS COMING TO RESTORE US IN CHRIST

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Violet.

First reading

Isaiah 35:1-10 ©

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,

let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,

let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,

let it rejoice and sing for joy.

The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,

the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;

they shall see the glory of the Lord,

the splendour of our God.

Strengthen all weary hands,

steady all trembling knees

and say to all faint hearts,

‘Courage! Do not be afraid.

‘Look, your God is coming,

vengeance is coming,

the retribution of God;

he is coming to save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

the ears of the deaf unsealed,

then the lame shall leap like a deer

and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy;

for water gushes in the desert,

streams in the wasteland,

the scorched earth becomes a lake,

the parched land springs of water.

The lairs where the jackals used to live

become thickets of reed and papyrus...

And through it will run a highway undefiled

which shall be called the Sacred Way;

the unclean may not travel by it,

nor fools stray along it.

No lion will be there

nor any fierce beast roam about it,

but the redeemed will walk there,

for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.

They will come to Zion shouting for joy,

everlasting joy on their faces;

joy and gladness will go with them

and sorrow and lament be ended.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 84(85):9-14(Advent)

Gospel Acclamation

Lk3:4,6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight,

and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.

Alleluia!

Or

Alleluia, alleluia!

See, the king, the Lord of the world, will come.

He will free us from the yoke of our bondage.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 5:17-26 ©

Jesus was teaching one day, and among the audience there were Pharisees and doctors of the Law who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem. And the Power of the Lord was behind his works of healing. Then some men appeared, carrying on a bed a paralysed man whom they were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him. But as the crowd made it impossible to find a way of getting him in, they went up on to the flat roof and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith he said, ‘My friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and the Pharisees began to think this over. ‘Who is this man talking blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them this reply, ‘What are these thoughts you have in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralysed man – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their very eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.

  They were all astounded and praised God, and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today.’

THE LORD IS COMING TO RESTORE US IN CHRIST

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Isa 35:1-10; Ps 84:9-14; Lk 5:17-26 ]

Some of us may be feeling like we are in the wilderness.  We are lost and confused.  We are not sure of our direction in life.  At the same time, we are stuck where we are.  We do not feel that we are making progress.  We are not happy at our workplace.  We feel marginalized and discriminated by our bosses.  We are embroiled in complicated relationships and trapped in a marriage that is loveless. We cannot feel the presence of God.  We cannot pray and God seems so far away.

Then there are those who are sick, physically and emotionally.  Their health is failing.  Some are paralyzed in bed like the paralyzed man in the gospel.  Many are losing their memory and suffering from Parkinson’s disease.  Some are losing their hearing.  Many are suffering from terminal illness as well.  Then there are those who are in depression and always at the verge of taking their life.  We can feel with them in their frustrations; unable to get out from bed and to take care of themselves.  Those who are care-givers are equally stressed because looking after the sick and the elderly can be very challenging; not only in having to attend to their physical and medical needs but trying to understand their emotional and psychological make up as well.

If we feel this way, then the prophet Isaiah says, “Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’”  As we enter the Second week of Advent, the liturgy wants to assure us that the Lord is indeed coming to save us and restore us to fullness of life.  The promise made to the Israelites is also ours.  “They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.”

This prophecy is fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah, that is, Christ the Lord.  In the gospel, Jesus fits in the prophecy for He carried out what the prophets had foretold.  “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy; for water gushes in the desert, streams in the wasteland, the scorched earth becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water.”  In the gospel, we read of Jesus’ healing miracles and works of exorcism.   We read of His power over nature in the calming of the storm and the multiplication of loaves.  Most of all, He demonstrated Himself to be the author of life in raising the dead back to life.   In St John’s gospel, Jesus is the living spring that gives living water, quenching the thirst of every person.

In today’s gospel, we read of the healing of the paralyzed man.  Not just of his physical healing but also spiritual healing because the Lord forgave his sins.  The healing of this man was not just a superficial healing of the body but also of the soul.   Jesus knew that the man needed first to be healed spiritually before he could be healed physically.   The man was paralyzed by his fears and his past.  Most of all, he was crippled by his sins.  Perhaps he could not forgive God and society for the situation he was in.  Most of us would assign blame to someone for the predicament we are in.  Someone has to be blamed; our parents, our bosses, our friends, and finally when we cannot find a scapegoat, then God is responsible.  Many of us have much resentment and bitterness against God because we have lost our loved ones or are suffering from terminal illness or because we have lost our job.  So, until and unless we are forgiven for our sins of anger, resentment and unforgiveness, no real healing can take place because the bitterness and grudges we hold in our hearts block the grace of God’s peace and love from entering into our lives.

But how do we know that Jesus is truly the Messiah who can grant us full restoration of life?  This is the question that is asked in today’s gospel.  This was the question that the Scribes and Pharisees asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But underlying this question, there is also another related issue that presupposes this question.

It is the relationship between sin and sickness.  For the religious leaders, the cause of sickness is sin.  Sickness is the punishment of God for our sins.  So if we are sick, it is because we are in sin.  Hence, we can appreciate why the religious leaders are obsessed with the observance of the laws.  The Pharisees considered themselves as the “Separated Ones” as they can keep the laws meticulously and themselves pure and holy.  The common people were despised because they held occupations that made them impossible to be ritually cleansed at all times, e.g. the shepherds and the poor labourers.  Of course, the tax collectors were the most detested people.

Jesus knew what was in their mind and thus He proceeded by forgiving the man his sins.  He was well aware that He would be accused of committing blasphemy since only God could forgive sins.  So He deliberately went ahead to forgive the man’s sins despite the hostility of the Jewish religious leaders.  He outsmarted them because when they asked the question, “How could he forgive sins except God alone?” Jesus showed that precisely because He has been given divine authority, He could forgive.  He said, “But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’, he said to the paralysed man – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their very own eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.”

What is the basis for Jesus’ divine authority?  The fact that Jesus healed the man means that the man has been forgiven his sins.  Otherwise the man would not have been able to walk!  If sins caused him to be paralyzed and now that he was able to walk, it shows that his sins were truly forgiven by Christ.  Ironically, in challenging Jesus, they had to admit that Jesus was divine.

Today, if we want to seek full healing, we must come to Christ in faith. Without faith, we cannot be healed.  The scribes and Pharisees were not healed by Christ because they were proud and self-righteous.  They thought salvation was by merit and by effort alone through the observance of the laws.  But what Christ needs from us is a deep humility and trust in His mercy and love.

But what if we lack faith or are weak in faith?  This is where we need the support of our Catholic friends.  The problem with us Catholics is that many of us walk alone in our faith.  We have no Catholic friends.  But having Catholic friends alone is not enough.  We must come together to share our faith through the breaking of the Word of God.  Unless we share faith experiences and reflections with each other, we cannot strengthen each other in faith.  Coming for the Eucharist alone is not enough.  We need the Body of Christ to strengthen our weary knees and drooping spirit.   Interestingly, it was those men who carried the paralyzed men to Jesus that made it possible for Jesus to work His miracles.  “Seeing their faith he said, ‘My friend, your sins are forgiven you.’”   So the faith of others can inspire our weak faith so that we can open ourselves to the power of God to heal us.

It was just Jesus’ faith in His Father that empowered Him to do what He did.  Missing in today’s gospel is a preceding sentence that says, “He withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.”  If “the Power of the Lord was behind his works of healing” it was because He was recharged in prayer.   Let us walk the way of Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him in faith and confident that He will restore us to the fullness of life so long as we are willing to give up our sins and seek healing from Him. “I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people. His help is near for those who fear him.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved