Restrictions lifted

The images from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the sense declared by the authors that we have seen incredible things.

Free from anxiety

The Prophet Isaiah paints a picture of the abundant love and care God has for His people.

* [35:1–10] This chapter contains a number of themes similar to those in Deutero-Isaiah (chaps. 40–55), for example, the blossoming of the wilderness (vv. 1–2; cf. 41:18–19), which is now well-irrigated (v. 7; cf. 43:19–20); sight to the blind (vv. 5–6; cf. 42:7, 16); a highway in the wilderness (v. 8; cf. 41:3); and the return of the redeemed/ransomed to Zion (vv. 9–10; cf. 51:11). Nevertheless, it forms a unit with chap. 34 (see note on 34:1–35:10) and reflects, along with that chapter, themes found in chaps. 1–33.

In the Gospel from Luke, effort beyond the ordinary for a friend initiates Jesus healing of the soul and body of a paralyzed man.

* [5:20] As for you, your sins are forgiven: literally, “O man, your sins are forgiven you.” The connection between the forgiveness of sins and the cure of the paralytic reflects the belief of first-century Palestine (based on the Old Testament: Ex 20:5; Dt 5:9) that sickness and infirmity are the result of sin, one’s own or that of one’s ancestors (see also Lk 13:2; Jn 5:14; 9:2).

Kathy Martin declares that God loves us with such abundance that he heals our bodies, forgives our sins, and knows our hearts.

The Gospel concludes with, “Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, ‘We have seen incredible things today’” (Lk 5:26).  What incredible things is God doing today that leave you astonished and filled with joy and gladness? If you haven’t felt astonished by God recently, may I suggest you do something audacious and zealous to help someone, perhaps a friend, in need?

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus heals spiritually and physically,”  by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"When the Savior says to him, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you,' he addresses this to humankind in general. For those who believe in him, being healed of the diseases of the soul, will receive forgiveness of the sins which they formerly committed. He may also mean this: 'I must heal your soul before I heal your body. If this is not done, by obtaining strength to walk, you will only sin more. Even though you have not asked for this, I as God see the maladies of the soul which brought on you this disease.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 12)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 35:1-10 recognizes that anxiety is a very real part of life, but with the Lord’s help, we can take steps to put it to rest.

One way is to practice praying for peace. Let’s say you are going about your day and an anxious thought comes into your mind. Try to pinpoint the worry, and then talk to the Lord about it. Imagine yourself leaning against Jesus’ chest, as the apostle John did at the Last Supper. Tell him what is making you unsettled. Then tell him that you want to lay your anxieties at his feet and leave them there for him to deal with.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the very fertile regions that the Prophet Isaiah describes in connection to the restoration of Israel. The deepest hurt of the paralysed man was in his soul. Friar Jude reiterates that the proper response to the action of God is amazement.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers a taste of what Thomas Merton has written in “New Seeds of Contemplation” about connecting with the Divine.

Contemplation is the highest expression of [human] intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant Source. Contemplation is above all, awareness of the reality of that Source. It knows the Source, obscurely, inexplicably, but with a certitude that goes both beyond reason and beyond simple faith. . .

Our gratitude for life is revived through our response to the gift of relationship with God and the experience of healing of our anxiety.

References

1	(n.d.). Isaiah chapter 35 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/35
2	(n.d.). Luke chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/5
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 10, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/