1st Week in Ordinary Time (Year A) : Friday 13th January 2023

“Do not forget the works of the Lord!” the psalmist reminds us. How can we forget the goodness of the Lord who has given us life, forgave sins, healed our infirmities and restored our dignity? The healing of the paralytic is  more than miraculous. It is the certain truth of God’s fidelity in our lives. God does answer our prayers, fasts and petitions that seek His saving help. Sometimes His answers are not what we ask for but He always responds.

Today, we are invited to appreciate friends who bring us to Jesus, often going the extra mile. Indeed, it is friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus for healing. Their faith and charity to help another are God’s handiwork. He labours to stretch their hearts to become more compassionate. Isn’t this the kind of compassion that moves Jesus to heal and help, console and comfort anyone a friend brings to him?

Do we have the same compassion and care to bring our friends to Jesus? Jesus’ healing should challenge a paralysis we all have. When friends hurt, disappoint, mistreat, or even betray us, we tend to ignore, dismiss or cancel them out of our lives. Our hearts become cold and hard towards them. Jesus does not just heal a physical ailment today. He challenges the scribes to let God heal and remake their hearts to be like His heart – compassionate, caring, and charitable. This is His challenge to us today.

Let us pray: Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like Yours.