Hope in the Lord

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the sense of hope that comes in our relationship with Christ. In the Letter to the Hebrews hope is expressed for the sabbath rest The Gospel from Mark presents the hope of Healing of a Paralytic friend. The United Church of God and The Anchor Bible Dictionary decisively and correctly concludes that the Greek “sabbatismos”, in the Letter to the Hebrews, means keeping the seventh-day Sabbath.  Barbara Dilly notes that  The Psalmist encourages us to not forget the works of the Lord!  Let’s put our hope in God! Let’s aim to keep his commandments and keep our hearts steadfast in faith! Don Schwager quotes “Reverse your relation with sickness,” by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD). The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 2:1-12 comments that this is just one of many stories that show how God responds when we go out of our way to seek help for our loved ones. Friar Jude Winkler discusses the day of rest and the Divine prerogative seized by Jesus in front of the Pharisees. Cynthia Bourgeault observes that Jesus teaches the art of metanoia or “going into the larger mind.” Underlying all his teaching is a clarion call to a radical shift in consciousness: away from the alienation and polarization of the egoic operating system and into the unified field of divine abundance that can be perceived only through the heart. We are able to move day by day through our hope in God.