Keep Focus

                                   
On the 10th December 2016, the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy hosted an unusual praise concert. I do not have the statistics but I believe well over 5000 people attended. It was an all night open air concert. Mid way into the concert, rain started to fall. This is rain in December when harmattan was supposed to be out in full force. It wasn't expected, and so no provision had been made for it.

When the rain started, some people left the concert; some to their homes, others to their cars and others to look for shelter away from the rain. People also started to make comments. Those who had opposed the concert were happy that the rains had come to disrupt the program. They felt that that was a sign that the concert didn't have 'God's stamp of approval'. Some people felt if God really approved, then the rains should not have come.

To these people I present the gospel passage of today (Friday 13th January), Mark 2:1-12, the passage on the healing of the paralytic. In this passage a paralytic on a stretcher was brought to Jesus for healing. However there was such a great crowd around Jesus, that they were unable to reach him. Undeterred, they went up to the roof of the house, removed the roof over where Jesus lay and lowered the paralytic before Jesus.

Commenting on this at mass today, the priest of Sacred Heart Catholic Church Henleaze Bristol asked us to imagine if this was happening in our time. How many people in church, listening to the word of God will remain if it appeared as if the roof was coming off? We can't even bear to withstand heat, cold, sun or rain let alone caving roofs. Imagine if the friends of the paralytic did not go up on the roof, or if the crowds around Jesus took off once they saw that the roof was being tampered with, the paralytic would not have been healed, and the crowds would have missed the chance to witness this miracle. But they were focused on Jesus and the words he spoke, so nothing else mattered.

Jesus never promised us that serving him will be free of obstacles; rather he expects us to remain steadfast even in the midst of the obstacles. Today we are reminded to keep focus on Jesus. Let nothing distract us, be it rain or sun, cold or heat, blizzard or hail storm. When we keep focus on Jesus, we are nourished by his word, we are recipients of his miracles and we become witnesses of his word and work.

May God bless us all and give us the grace to remain focused.