READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah
Is 35:1-10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals lurk
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
nor fools go astray on it.
No lion will be there,
nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.
It is for those with a journey to make,
and on it the redeemed will walk.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From he Gospel according to Luke
Lk 5:17-26
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“As for you, your sins are forgiven.”
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
“What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
“We have seen incredible things today.”
Monday of the Second Week of Advent
(Luke 5:17-26)
God’s Word for Us
Dear people of God,
The Word of God today recounts the healing of a paralyzed man.
In the eye of God the Father, sickness of the soul is the most important. God the Father wants to demonstrate His power over all mankind, by healing the sickness in both the body as well as the soul of a paralyzed man. God sees great faith in the family of this paralyzed man. It was all part of God’s plan when this paralytic was being carried to God to ask for His healing.
Before God healed the physical illness, He made known to all mankind the manifestation of His power as a mighty God. He has total authority over both the souls and bodies of mankind. He has complete power over all that belongs to man, because He created man in the image of God the Father. God the Father manifests His power to forgive a paralyzed man’s sins. Because God the Father sees that: The salvation of the soul is the most important, for the salvation of the soul is how we live to please God the Father. That is the most important thing and the goal that people need to aim for; since the soul is immortal and never dies again.
God wants to let all mankind know: Run to God, He will heal all sicknesses and diseases. He has the power and authority to cast out all sins both in the soul and in the body. However, God gives man the freedom to absolute trust in the supreme God. God gives that power, but the heart of man must open and accept the forgiveness of sins, and receive the Word of God’s power to heal both body and soul.
God wants to call all mankind that: Whoever’s soul wants to be peaceful and happy. Whoever’s soul wants to be healed by God the Father, run to God the Father, for He is infinitely merciful. There is no god in this world as great as God the Father.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
