St. Luke’s Institute

December 10, 2012

SINS RATHER THAN HEALING ++++++

· In gospel, a poor, paralyzed man brought to Jesus by his friends / Cannot move or feel

· And Jesus looks at him and says, “Your sins are forgiven”

· Seems as if Jesus has missed the point

· Friends have brought the man for healing

MISSED POINT? +++++++++++++++++++

· Has Jesus missed the point?

· Instead of healing, he’s communicating that there are things far worse and more crippling than physical ailments

· Things like brokenness of our inner spirit

· The alienation from God and from one another

· The paralysis of not being able to hope

· The blindness of not being able to see the goodness in others

· The crippling of fear and anxiety

· The lameness of self-rejection and lack of self-esteem

· These afflictions are equally burdensome and, Jesus would say to us, far worse than the physical afflictions

NO RESTORE SPIRITS ++++++++++++++

· Jesus comes to restore spirit to wholeness

· To give us the unconditional love of God and assure us of our worth,

· To break down the walls between US and others that our humanity can create

· To bridge the gap between God and us that we alone cannot mend

· To give inner peace based on union w/ G

· To give vision, meaning & hope to our lives

ADVENT +++++++++++++++++++++++++

· This is the Jesus whom Advent calls us to wait for and expect

· This is the Jesus who’s breaking in our lives in our hearing

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