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Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - An Act of the Greatest Charity

Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - An Act of the Greatest Charity

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 2 Jahren

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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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. Mark 2:3–4

This paralytic is a symbol of certain people in our lives who seem
to be incapable of turning to our Lord by their own effort. It’s
clear that the paralytic wanted healing, but he was unable to come
to our Lord by his own effort. Therefore, the friends of this
paralytic carried him to Jesus, opened the roof (since there was
such a large crowd), and lowered the man down before Jesus.

The paralysis of this man is a symbol of a certain type of sin.
It’s a sin for which someone desires forgiveness but is incapable
of turning to our Lord by their own effort. For example, a serious
addiction is something that can so dominate a person’s life that
they cannot overcome this addiction by their own effort. They need
the help of others to even be able to turn to our Lord for
help.

We each must see ourselves as the friends of this paralytic. Too
often when we see someone who is trapped in a life of sin, we
simply judge them and turn away from them. But one of the greatest
acts of charity we can offer another is to help provide them with
the means they need to overcome their sin. This can be done by our
counsel, our unwavering compassion, a listening ear, and by any act
of fidelity to that person during their time of need and
despair.

How do you treat people who are caught in the cycle of manifest
sin? Do you roll your eyes at them and turn away? Or do you firmly
determine to be there for them to give them hope and to assist them
when they have little or no hope in life to overcome their sin? One
of the greatest gifts you can give to another is the gift of hope
by being there for them to help them turn fully to our Lord.

Reflect, today, upon a person you know who seems to be not only
caught in the cycle of sin but has also lost hope to overcome that
sin. Prayerfully surrender yourself over to our Lord and commit
yourself to the charitable act of doing anything and everything you
can so as to help them fully turn to our divine Lord.

My precious Jesus, fill my heart with charity toward those who
need You the most but seem incapable of overcoming the sin in their
lives that keep them from You. May my unwavering commitment to them
be an act of charity that gives them the hope they need to
surrender their life to You. Use me, dear Lord. My life is in Your
hands. Jesus, I trust in You.

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