This is from Father Jason, as written a few weeks ago.
“And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.” Luke 5:18-19 (click here to read the full text)
This Gospel reminds me of an old saying: “faith is the postage stamp on our prayers.” It may very well have been ropes and a pallet which delivered this paralytic to Christ, but it was the faith of his friends which set the backdrop for this marvelous miracle to unfold. It is rock solid faith, on display in the persons of these four good men, which teaches us that we must never confuse what can’t be done with what hasn’t been done. With divine faith in our hearts, we have everything to gain by living large. Is there something grand you secretly desire of God, but have not dared to ask, and to ask boldly? Well, don’t be bashful! God can do anything…except fail.
When I say “living large” I don’t mean living with “bling.” Leave that to the preachers of the Gospel of health and wealth. Think bigger than that. Think of winning souls for Christ! Is there someone you want to bring to Jesus? Is there a natural leader you know in your neighborhood whose charisma and bonhomie attract people from near and far? Why not win him over to Christ, and through him your whole street! All you have to do is bring him to Christ, then let Christ do the healing and restoration which needs to take place.
Imagine if each practicing Catholic in this country focused on one neighbor, one friend or acquaintance, over the course of twelve months and tried to introduce that person to the new life that is in Christ. Imagine the result if after ten years of every Catholic in this country doing this, we were to find in our pews tens of millions of new brothers and sisters! It starts with you.
Be bold! Don’t be afraid to rip off a few tiles from someone’s house if it means introducing them to the Living God. Bring them to weekly Mass or our Saturday vespers service, invite them to Sunday Divine Liturgy. Talk with them over coffee about saints, miracles, heaven, hell and the real things that matter.
The alternative is to lead a bland life and to chat with them over the backyard fence about different types of fertilizer one uses on the lawn. What is to be had by following the masses of humanity in such mundane conversations? Be careful when you blindly follow the masses. Sometimes the “m” is silent!
Added Divine Mercy in my soul quote (# 55) “let simplicity and humility be the characteristic traits of your soul. Go through life like a little child, always trusting, always full of simplicity and humility, content with everything, happy in every circumstance. There, where others fear, you will pass calmly along, thanks to this simplicity and humility.”