Faith of Others

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121117.cfm) reminds me that the faith of others can bless me. 

There are people in our lives that we look up to in the aspect of faith. We ask people to pray for and with us. There are people whose faith inspires us. And in today’s gospel, we are reminded that God uses the faith of others and blesses us because of them.

Your faith can bless others around you.

People came and brought the man in a stretcher. In the gospel of Mark, it was specified that there were four people who brought the man. These people, probably friends of the paralytic man, had great faith. It was not easy to carry the man and bring him to Jesus. They probably could have just thought of themselves and their concerns and came to Jesus, instead of making the effort to bring the man in a stretcher. But they had great faith in Jesus that they were willing to go the extra mile for the paralyzed man. They had faith Jesus could do something about it, else they would not make the effort to bring him. And when Jesus saw this, especially the faith of the men, he forgave the man and healed him.

Like stars that shine brightest during the darkest of night, faith shines brightest during the toughest of situations.

In life, we are also faced with challenges. Things don’t come easy. There are a of of problems. However, we are reminded to have faith for God will honor it. God does not disappoint, and will hear those who have great faith in Him.  We are also reminded not just to have friends who have a lot of faith or who are very spiritual, but be that kind of friend to others as well.

May our faith benefit not just ourselves, but others around us as well.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I don't have enough faith in you. Sorry for the times I give up and surrender, instead of fighting for my faith. Increase my faith. Lord, I thank you for the gift of faith. Thank you for honoring my faith, and for giving me friends who pray for me. I also ask you that you help me strengthen my faith, not just for myself and my needs, but so that I may be able to bless others through it. May my faith be instrumental in blessing others and bringing them to you. May my faith bring glory to your name. Use me for your purpose. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

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December 11, 2017

Monday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 181

Reading 1 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.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (Isaiah 35:4f) Our God will come to save us!
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Our God will come to save us!
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Our God will come to save us!

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 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."