A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the church, by Father Perry.
“Astonishment seized them all,” says the word today.
Just for fun, it seems worth it to come up with a few synonyms: amazement, surprise, shock, stupefaction, bewilderment, wonder, and awe.
And that was the effect that Jesus had upon them all.
Jesus seems to often if not always deal on multiple levels at the same time.
Here, once again, he works a physical miracle and suggests there is a deeply spiritual level also and affects all the people on a social and communal level, and certainly affected the psychological and emotional level, too.
He suggested that physical diseases and illnesses had roots somehow in spiritual distress, and often he connected in a very direct and deep way the healing of the body with the healing of the soul and noted the power of faith in the process.
There is a wholeness and interconnectedness within each of us and among all of us.
Maybe astonishment is the only thing that fully captures our response to this Holy One of God and to his works and wonders and healing love.
And what a testimony to the faith of that paralytic. Although the word of God only hints at certain details, I can only imagine what did not get said in this story.
Perhaps the relatives and friends who were carrying the paralytic on that mat told him: “Sorry. We better just go home. Look! There are so many people in that house surrounding the Teacher. There is no way we can get in there and ask a favor from him.”
Then, perhaps, the first case of astonishment took over, I imagine, as the paralytic man began to insist, “Take me up on the roof. Remove the tiles. Drop me down directly in front of him. I must see him. He must see me. I’ve come this far. I won’t go back until I see him and hear him and feel his touch and receive his healing and powerful love. No one and nothing can keep me from meeting my Lord!”
And it happened. And he did. And Jesus spoke. And Jesus reached into this man’s physical limitations and spiritual needs and his hope and desire; and that man — and every man and every woman, even those who questioned Jesus’ powers — they were all astonished.
Wonder and awe filled them all. And as Isaiah predicted, another messianic moment touched them all.
Indeed!
The paralyzed will walk; no, they will run. No, they will even dance, dance, dance!
And the faith will be aroused in that paralyzed man and in all who saw and heard what they saw and heard!
Yikes! What a moment indeed.
Yes! A messianic moment that blew the roof off that house!
All could only say: “We have seen incredible things today!”
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
