Homily for 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time February 21/22, 2009

Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25
Psalm 41: 2-3, 4-5, 13-14
2 Corinthians 1: 18-22
Mark 2: 1-12

"When this old world starts getting me down and people are just too much for me to face, I’ll climb way up to the top of the stairs and all my cares just drift right into space. On the roof it’s peaceful as can be and there the world don’t bother me". These lyrics are from the James Taylor classic, Up on the Roof. Originally written by Carole King and performed by the Drifters, James Taylor took the meaning of the song to new heights. For him, the rooftop was his oasis, his place to watch the stars, which "put on a show for free".

All of us have our special oasis, our get away place. For most of us, it probably is not our roof. But all of us here still have searing memories of so many of our neighbors, maybe some of us here today, who fled to the safety of a rooftop to escape the flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. The entire nation, even the whole world, watched the dozens of heroic rescues from New Orleans rooftops. For many of these victims of the flood they had faith that they would be saved.

As people of faith, where do we go for our peace, where do we flee for safety, who do we turn to? And how determined, how persistent will we be?

In today’s Gospel, St. Mark tells us of Jesus returning home and a great crowd that gathered to hear him preach. Then we hear of the four men carrying their friend, a paralytic. So determined that they would get their friend to Jesus, they overcame the crowd, stripped the roof off the place where Jesus was and lowered their friend down to Jesus. Jesus indeed heals the man. The Gospel tells us why Jesus healed the man: seeing their faith. The group of friends believed in the healing power of Jesus to the point of stripping off a roof. It is as if nothing was going to stop them. Their faith made them determined to get to Jesus.

When Jesus heals the paralytic, he tells him your sins are forgiven. This did not sit well with the scribes, and probably others too. Jesus is aware of those who do not have faith in Him. In this Gospel, He knows that his critics are offended by Him and consider Him blasphemous. Jesus chooses not to make a big deal about the criticism, and tells the healed man, get up, pick up your mat and go home.

Again, these Scriptures tell us of things that happened long ago, but they speak to all of us today. Do we have the faith of the paralytic and his four friends? And if we do, do we practice that faith with others? Have we brought our friends, our families to Jesus? Do we seek to be healed; not so much from disease or paralysis, which Jesus indeed can heal, but from our sins?

The Church, in Her wisdom, gives us this reading as we prepare to begin the holy season of Lent. How can we let this reading speak to us today, as we approach the season of penance, reflection, reconciliation and forgiveness? We start, of course, with Ash Wednesday. We have four opportunities to receive ashes as detailed in the bulletin. Make every effort to do this. Bring your family, take a neighbor, and invite a co-worker at lunchtime. And take advantage of our additional times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we learned in our recent parish mission, even if you have not been to Reconciliation in quite some time, Jesus is waiting for you, to come to Him, to heal you of your sins.

Like the paralytic and his friends, you will never forget the experience; whether confession is something you do frequently or not so frequently. If we really think about it, everyone was so astounded at the healing of the paralytic, they proclaimed, “we have never seen anything like this”. When we go to confession, when we seek the mercy and forgiveness that Jesus offers, when we are healed of our sins, should we not also proclaim, “we have never seen anything like this”.

Up on the roof is a great song that speaks of peace, tranquility and a place to unwind. What will our rooftop experience be, when we turn to Jesus and ask to be healed? When we practice our faith and share our faith with others, the grace and mercy of Jesus flows and grows; it grows right through the roof.