Monday of the Second Week of Advent

Lame People Shall Leap

Other Celebrations for this Day:

Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Liturgical Cycle: B | Lectionary Cycle: I

Introduction

At the time of the exile, in what is called “the little Apocalypse” (Is 34-35), a disciple of Isaiah describes the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and the Holy Land as a return to Paradise: no sin, no suffering, no fatigue even, with all sickness cured and creation sharing in the liberation of people. For God dwells among his people.

These glowing terms begin to apply more fully when Jesus comes and forgives sin and heals illness, the consequences and manifestations of sin. When Jesus appears, he comes to bring life to the poor. Yes, the lame people leap for joy, for God has taken pity on them through Jesus.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
you come among your people;
to those who are poor and paralyzed
you bring your forgiveness
and your tender compassion
through your Son Jesus Christ.
God, help us believe deeply
that you want to liberate us
from our discouragement and powerlessness.
Give us a sincere, trusting hope
in your healing, compassionate love,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.

First Reading

Isaiah 35:1-10

Return to Zion

Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom.

Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned with the splendor of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. They, my people, see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.

Give vigor to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees.

Say to those who are afraid: “Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God who rewards, the God who comes to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed.

Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing and shout. For water will break out in the wilderness and streams gush forth from the desert.

The thirsty ground will become a pool, the arid land springs of water. In the haunts where once reptiles lay, grass will grow with reeds and rushes.

There will be a highway which will be called The Way of Holiness; no one unclean will pass over it nor any wicked fool stray there.

No lion will be found there nor any beast of prey. Only the redeemed will walk there.

For the ransomed of the Lord will return: with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while sorrow and sighing flee away.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (Isaiah 35:4f) Our God will come to save us!
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Our God will come to save us!
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Our God will come to save us!

Alleluia Verse

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 5:17-26

One day, Jesus was teaching, and many Pharisees and teachers of the law had come from all parts of Galilee, Judea, and even Jerusalem. They were sitting there, while the power of the Lord was at work to heal the sick.

Then some men brought a paralyzed man who lay on his mat. They tried to enter the house to bring him before Jesus,

but they couldn’t find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and lowered him on his mat into the middle of the crowd right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man:

“My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

At once the teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to wonder:

“This man insults God! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

But Jesus knew their thoughts and asked them:

“Why are you reacting like this?

Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’?

Now you shall know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus said to the paralyzed man:

“Get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Immediately, the man stood before them. He picked up the mat he had been lying on and went home, praising God.

Amazement took hold of the people, and they praised God. They were filled with holy fear and said:

“What wonderful things we have seen today!”

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray for all people who are discouraged and lonely, that we may
help them overcome their fears and restore their trust and hope. We say: Lord, hear our prayer.

– For the physically handicapped, that we may respect them as fully human persons, we pray:

– For our communities, that we may be full of hope that in Christ we can build a better Church and a better world, we pray:

– That all of us may be people of joy, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord, God of hope,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the death and resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Help us to place in him our hope
that he will raise us from our dejection,
from all our fears and resignation
to the evils of the world.
Let him heal us from our sins
and make us people who leap for joy
because of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our living and saving God,
we thank you for your Son Jesus.
Let him be so much alive among us
that we gladly and enthusiastically
continue his work of healing
the poor and those who suffer,
as we remember how he has lifted us up
above our miseries.
Make us healed healers,
as we follow Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

To us too, Jesus has repeatedly said: "Your sins are forgiven you. Stand up." Let this fill us with great gratitude, and help us also to speak to one another words of reconciliation and encouragement. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

Gospel: Luke 5:17-26

Cure of a Paralytic

The first thing that strikes us in this passage is the audience listening to Jesus: Pharisees and teachers of the law from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem (17a). On the one hand, Jesus “had the power of the Lord to heal” (17b), and on the other, he presents himself to them as the Son of Man who has authority on earth to forgive sins (24), an attribute exclusive to God. This episode marks the beginning of confrontations between official Judaism and Jesus, which will culminate on the cross. To accept Jesus, we must come out of our prostration and open ourselves to him, so that even without confessing our sins—the paralytic does not confess—we feel forgiven and welcomed by him to begin a new life.

Commentary on the Gospel passage from the Bible Claret online commentary.