Today's readings beautifully illustrate God's EXTRAVAGANT love and the EMPOWERMENT we receive through an ENCOUNTER with Jesus. In...
Today's readings beautifully illustrate God's EXTRAVAGANT love and the EMPOWERMENT we receive through an ENCOUNTER with Jesus.
In the First Reading from Ephesians, Paul prays for the believers, asking that they be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit in their inner being. This speaks to the empowerment that comes from God – a divine strengthening that allows us to grasp the immensity of Christ's love. Paul prays that they may be filled with the very fullness of God. This isn't a meager gift; it's an extravagant outpouring of divine power and love meant to transform us from the inside out. It highlights God's desire to not just touch our lives, but to completely indwell them with His presence and strength.
The Gospel then gives us a powerful example of this empowerment in action through the story of the paralytic. When Jesus sees their faith – the faith of the paralyzed man and his friends – He doesn't just address the physical ailment first. Instead, He says, "Your sins are forgiven." This is the ultimate healing, the root of all true restoration. It's an intimate encounter with Jesus that brings about profound spiritual healing. And to demonstrate His authority to forgive sins, Jesus then commands the man to "Rise, take up your mat and go home," granting him the physical empowerment to walk. This miracle is an extravagant display of Jesus' power and compassion, showing His desire for complete restoration – body and soul.
Together, these readings remind us that through a personal encounter with Christ, we are offered an extravagant gift of divine empowerment. We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit to understand and experience God's boundless love, and like the paralytic, we can be healed and made whole. Let us open our hearts to this transformative encounter and allow God's extravagant grace to empower us for His glory.
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