7 Sunday Ordinary Time, B, 19 February 2012, Mark 2:1-12

Star of Life

"Medical Priority". I think that many of you will understand the term much better than I do. I understand it to mean that the patient with the greatest medical need gets the priority in hospital, and in particular the Emergency area. Many patients with relatively mild injuries have found themselves frustrated, waiting around because of the 'Medical Priority' system. It means that another patient can arrive just as I am about to be seen by the medical team and just like that I can find myself back in the waiting area. 'Medical Priority' is frustrating for some patients but it is very necessary to save lives.

The paralytic in this morning's gospel is first on the medical priority list. He needs The Physician, and quickly! There has to be a way around the queue, around the crowd of people that have gathered to greet the Powerful One who has returned to Capernaum. The crowd are a hindrance in getting the person with the most need to Jesus. The crowd are selfish, crowding out the needy, paralysed one.

What is it that has paralysed this man? We can easily jump to  conclusions. We might assume the paralysis to be physical in nature and it may well have been. But, it takes courage to hear the Good News of the gospel addressed to me and you personally: what is it that paralyses you? What paralyses me?

It may seem strange to you but a short while ago we were all paralysed! Well, at least those of us who were asleep were! During some of our sleep state our brain temporarily paralyses our body so that we don't act out whats happening in our dreams!

(You may have seen this happen to a dog who is in deep sleep: they may give partial yelps or growls and even you can watch their paws twitch as if they were running in their sleep!)

So, waking from sleep is a coming around from a form of paralysis. Sometimes we can hear the gospel in a new way that wakes us up from our slumber: indeed some have commented that the vast majority of Christians are in a kind of 'sleep-state' in regard to their faith – they are duped into a kind of paralysis. Sometimes this paralysis can lead us into the darkness of sin, walking along with blinkers on. Sometimes it is other people, sharing their faith with us that can wake us up to the reality of God.

Maybe you can think of four people who have carried you to the Lord in some way, just like the four people in the gospel who went to great lengths to get the paralytic to Jesus. Think of those who have shared their faith with you, especially those who were gently encouraging and not forceful. Think of those who have had a Mass celebrated for you, or offered to pray for you. Maybe someone who has listened to you and shared some problem or burden. Those who may have sympathised with you in your grief at the death of a loved one.

The wisdom of the gospel today is to not so much be cured in the medical sense as to be healed in the heart sense: 'My child, your sins are forgiven.' Sometimes we don't even know we have sinned until it is revealed to us afterwards. Sometimes we don't even recognise that we are paralysed. Today is a day to allow our hearts to be healed by the Lord, to be set free from whatever paralysis affects us.