While it isn’t necessarily the main focus of today’s Gospel story, I’ve always admired the creativity and determination of the paralytic’s friends. Blocked by a large crowd, including religious leaders, they aren’t willing to abandon their goal of finding a way to heal their friend. We’ve heard the phrase “when God closes a door, somewhere God opens a window,” but these men adapt it to closing a door and opening a roof. Jesus, upon being presented with a man descending from the ceiling, stops teaching and focuses on the person most in need of his help at that moment.
How often do we allow minor setbacks or inconveniences to prevent us from accomplishing something important? The men in our story aren’t intimidated by the people in the crowd. They don’t let anything stand between them and the Lord. What is standing between you and a deeper relationship with Jesus this Advent?
—Lauren Gaffey is the Charis Ministries Program Director for the Office of Ignatian Spirituality, and coordinates Jesuit Connections in Chicago for the Midwest Jesuits.
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