YEARNING FOR KINGSHIP
God is our true king. We must make Him the center; yes the center of our
lives and our hearts.
In today's first
reading we observe that it is part of human condition is to be dissatisfied
with the present circumstances. We are always looking for something better to
turn up, to be like those who seem to be well off in life. The Israelites were
dissatisfied that they did not have a king. They wanted to be like the nations
around them, and they thought a king could unify them in their struggles
against their enemies, especially the Philistines. Samuel disagreed. He warned
the people that a king could usurp their rights, take over their possessions,
and oblige them to be at his service.
Today we heard in
the Gospel about healing and forgiveness! Jesus is the treatment for each of us
in our human weakness. When someone that was physically challenge brought to
Jesus because of the faith of his friends, Jesus did the unthinkable. He first
forgave the man his sins. The scribes regarded this as blasphemy because they
understood that only God had the authority to forgive sins and to unbind a man
from his burden quilt. Jesus claimed an authority came from God, he showed the
power of God's redeeming love and mercy by healing the cripple of his physical
ailment. This man had been crippled not only physically, but spiritually as
well. Jesus freed him from his burden of guilt and restored his body as well.
The Lord Jesus always is there to fulfill us in our journey in this life.
Forgiveness and healing - brought together proclaims God's desire and intention
to restore wholeness to every dimension of our lives.
Jesus filled the
yearnings for kingship in Israel in a way which the people of that time could
not imagine. God is our true king. We must make Him the center; yes the center
of our lives and our hearts.
Points to Pray and Ponder. Jesus heals the paralyzed man, we read this in
the scripture. When He does this He deepens our trust that His forgiveness is
the only way we can have true peace. Then we will forever sing the goodness of
the Lord!