Luke Pearson

Dear Friends,

When I was a young boy, I was not very good at puzzles. I had neither the patience nor temperament to construct even the simplest of them . On rainy days, my brothers and friends would always pull out some of their favorite puzzles and put them together. I must admit, I was jealous of their ability to do this with such speed and ease. I felt as though I could never take part in the game, and it was frustrating. However, that changed when my friend gave me some helpful advice. He told me, “You can’t let frustration keep you from having fun or thinking clearly. If you problem-solve and stay positive, the pieces will come together.” Even though to this day I am not very good at constructing puzzles, I always think about my friend’s advice when I face a challenge or obstacle within my life.

In today’s Gospel, we see that there are no insuperable barriers separating us from God’s grace. Christ had many followers come to Capernaum to witness him speak the word to them. There were so many people gathered around him that there were lines pouring out through the front door. Due to this heavy amount of foot traffic there was no possibility for anyone who was on the outskirts of the crowd to see and listen to Jesus’s teachings. This disheartening truth was apparent for the paralyzed man and anyone else who was not able to be close to Jesus.

However the story does not end with hopelessness, or by the paralyzed man being brought home. The paralyzed man’s fellow community members take matters into their own hands, and remove the roof that was above Jesus so that their friend could be lowered to Christ. These individuals are then recognized by Jesus for their resilience, love for their neighbor, and faith in his wonders. Therefore, Christ forgives the paralytic sins, and then restores his ability to walk.

God calls on all of us to problem-solve. There will always be barriers and obstacles that we must face throughout our lives. However, we cannot shy away from these obstacles when they arise. Furthermore, we should not problem-solve for our own benefit. We should be thinking and acting on the needs of others in our community. All members of a community deserve to be assisted, and deserve God’s love and recognition. Every sibling of Christ should have the chance to witness God’s glory and receive the Lord’s forgiveness. Whether it be a tangible roof or a heavy burden in our hearts, we must have the courage to remove any structures that hinder our ability to get closer with God. When we choose to problem-solve for the benefit of others, we grow in faith and in love.

Best,
Luke Pearson