January 12, 2018

Gospel: Mk 2:1-12
After some days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. As the news spread that he was in the house, so many people gathered, that there was no longer room even outside the door. While Jesus was preaching the word to them, some people brought to him a paralyzed man. The four men who carried him couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowd, so they opened the roof above the room where Jesus was and, through the hole, lowered the man on his mat. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, he said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Now, some teachers of the law, who were sitting there, wondered within themselves, “How can he speak like this, insulting God? Who can forgive sins except God?” At once, Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking, and asked, “Why do you wonder? Is it easier to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your mat and walk?’ But now you shall know, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” And he said to the paralytic, “Stand up, take up your mat and go home.” The man rose and, in the sight of all those people, he took up his mat and went out. All of them were astonished and praised God, saying, “Never have we seen anything like this!”

Reflections
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK
FOR, YOU MIGHT GET IT!
The story of Samuel in the epistle about the people asking for a king reminds me of that saying: Be careful what you ask for, you might get it. We often think that what we ask for is always good for us. But experience tells us it may not be so. I know of a religious who wanted to be principal of a school in a province in the South. She prayed and prayed for it and even actually volunteered for that position. It turned out during her term that her autocratic ways did not sit well with the school staff nor with the parents. They actually rallied against her and sent a formal letter to the provincial to have her transferred. In a similar but reverse manner, sometimes we are assigned something that we felt negatively about and turned out to be positive. When I was a very young sister, I was enjoying my Manila assignment teaching in High School. Then I got a transfer card assigning me to in the province. My first reaction was: Oh my goodness, I am being sent to the boondocks! Being a religious, of course I obeyed. Looking back it was where I started to bloom. I learned so many things and had so many positive experiences with the students, my community and with the parents. I look upon it as one of the best things that happened in my life. God really looks after us and has plans that are better for us than our highest dreams for ourselves.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018