THE GIFT

We often hear people say that past is past and there's nothing more we can do about it. It's time to move on and think of what needs to be done at the present time and this is the truth. We must admit that we get disappointed and annoyed when we hear people narrate of guilt feelings of what they did in the past or happened a long time ago already which they keep on saying repeatedly and reminding themselves. A speaker in a convention once said that what took place 2 hours ago is irreversible and can not be undone but we're still gifted with the present time wherein we are still able to do and achieve whatever we set our minds on. Today's 1st reading reminds us that we have to be grateful to God for the present. This could also be the reason why we call a gift the present. God sends us daily assurances and confirmations that we can get from the scriptures, mass readings and from the very people we meet and get in contact with. Amen. Hallelujah!

Book of Isaiah 43,18-19.21-22.24-25.
Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not;
See, I am doing something new!

God is reminding us in today's psalm reading that it benefits us more when we care for our lowly and poor brothers and sisters. God knows every single thing that we do and nothing is hidden from Him. It pleases Him when we abide with and in Him and He is faithful to keep His words and promises. One of them is by reaching out to people in order to help them. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 41(40),2-3.4-5.13-14.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Happy those concerned for the lowly and poor; when misfortune strikes, the LORD delivers them. The LORD keeps and preserves them, makes them happy in the land, and does not betray them to their enemies. The LORD sustains them on their sickbed, allays the malady when they are ill.

It is only through Jesus that we can lay claim to all the promises, privileges, benefits and the blessings we are entitled to as a people of God. For Jesus bore everything on the cross, paid the great price and served as a ransom for our sins. The enemy can no longer lay his claim on us unless we allow him, for we have been delivered from his clasps, redeemed by the priceless shedding of Jesus' blood on the cross and saved from sin and death. Amen. Hallelujah!

Second Letter to the Corinthians 1,18-22.
...For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.


There are different kinds of faith that bring about healing. In today's gospel it was the faith of the 4 men and not of the sick person alone who brought about the healing. It tells us of the power of friends. Just like this paralytic in today's gospel who was helped by his friends we should be thankful for the presence of people in our lives who continue to serve as the link that bridges the gap in our relationship with God. A paralytic was unable to come near Jesus but his friends went to a great extent just to be able to bring him near Jesus. They really went out of their way by opening up the roof of the house and passed through it to let down the mat where the paralytic was lying in order for him to come near Jesus. They have to go through a seemingly unimaginable task of breaking through the roof of a house. Who would do that? We can tell from the story that they are people who are determined, unstoppable, courageous, brave and united. They worked as a team and were clearly ready to face all odds especially because they are moving as a group which means they have the power of 4 people not just one. This reminds me of a speaker who talked about the power of leverage. We can benefit from a lot of things that He has blessed and endowed us. One of them is the gift of people, the family, friends and even the shortest encounter we have of our daily contacts that seem to not matter or be of benefit to us but can still impact our lives in a meaningful way at present and in the days to come. Although much to our displeasure, it is really inevitable that in our daily walk we can find people also in today's gospel who simply refuse to believe and don't share a common belief. At any given situation we must always be open to God's options not ours for in the end we will always find glory in His works and witness His astounding miracles as manifested in the gospel. It shows us a threefold manifestation of the Divinity of Christ. First is the ability of Jesus to read our hearts and minds. This not a human power, only God can do this. We can not hide anything from God, He knows all our thoughts. The 2nd manifestation is the ability of Jesus to grant spiritual healing. The moment he said this, "Your sins are forgiven" the paralytic man got healed spiritually. We hear these words in the sacraments of confession and anointing of the sick. God has the power to set us free from sin and set the soul back in union with God. Third is the power of God to grant physical healing. God can restore bodily health and put the body in the right order that God has designed it to be. Evil is the absence of the good that rightly belongs there. It is not absent because of God but because we fall away from grace. Suffering takes meaning from the action of Christ's redemption. Sometimes we miss the point just like the scribes. They did not recognize who Jesus is in spite of these divine manifestations. The paralytic and the 4 men acknowledged the power of Jesus but the scribes rejected it. Instead they accused Him of blaspheming. With regards to ourselves, I guess it is easier for us to say that He’s God at this present time than those scribes, the paralytic and the 4 men because it is a new concept that is difficult to grasp at that time. Do we really grasp the meaning of His divinity that Jesus is God? The 4 men who carried the paralytic had faith that is selfless. They wanted what is good for their paralytic friend and were focused at the good of another that’s why they were able to grasp the power of God. The scribes were selfish and can’t get beyond their mind’s view and not focused on the good of others. They failed to recognize the good that God can provide the paralytic. This is what happens when we don’t accept the Light into our lives and keep ourselves in the dark. Like these scribes who were present there observing inside the house which is believed to be the home of Peter. The Church stands firm in the witness of the apostles and the disciples about the Divinity of Jesus. He has the power to free us from sin and the effects of sin and sanctify our suffering and give meaning to it in union with His redemption. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 2:1-12
1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. 2 Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 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. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” 8 Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” — 11 he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” 12 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.”