MASS READINGS: A reading from the holy Gospel accordinng to Mark 2:1-12When 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.”REFLECTION: " Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him."They wanted Jesus to heal their friend. They had heard so much about His miracles. They wanted to get as close as possible; they had to remove all obstacles, and they would not give up. They continued with their determination to help. " Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him."As children of God, we have been given the incredible power to make a difference in the world. And though many of us pray daily and strongly believe in the power of prayer, it's sometimes hard to know what is the best way to pray, or even what exactly to pray for.God knows our hearts, He sees, He hears, and is always at work, even when we can't fully see.Intercessory prayer is conversing with God about someone else’s situation. At times this prayer is in silence, allowing the Holy Spirit to intervene for us. It is best to keep it very simple.Since God loves us, abandoning our prayers to His will always works. We pray, not only for what we would like, but that hearts and wills be aligned with God. We pray for the presence of God, the King. We invite God into our lives, our problems, our doubts and fears.We are all in His hands, and He has great purpose for all of us in this life.We pray over the lives of ourselves, family, friends and even strangers. Remember, God promises that His words will not return void. So, fellow pilgrims, don’t give up, persist, and be confident in the King's compassion.God Bless

by St. Augustine

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