In the Gospel, a paralyzed man is brought to Jesus by four men, hoping to get healing. As they are unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they devise an ingenious plan: they open up the roof and lower down the mat on which the paralytic is lying.

Jesus and the people around, noticing the commotion on the roof, must have been amused by such a “desperate” move. Jesus sees their faith, especially of four friends who probably have to convince the paralyzed man to go along with their plan. This faith is not only rewarded with physical, but also spiritual healing: Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic. Jesus is able to read the heart of the paralytic which is filled with remorse, thinking that his infirmity might partly be due to his past sins. Do we turn to Jesus in our need of healing, both of body and spirit? Do we show our appreciation of family members and friends who help us in our ailments? Do we spend some time acting as “caregivers” to the sick and the elderly?

All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us.” Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the Lord, however, who said in answer: “Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.” Samuel delivered the message of the Lord in full to those who were asking him for a king. He told them: “The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot.(…) When this takes place, you will complain against the king whom you have chosen(…)

The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, “Not so! There must be a king over us. We too must be like other nations, with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare and fight our battles.” When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the Lord, who then said to him, “Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.

They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”—he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”