REGRETS  AND  RECOVERY

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday in the first week in Ordinary Time is, “Regrets and Recovery.”

R and R

That should take care of today’s two readings.

FIRST READING

It sounds to me that today’s first reading from 1^st Samuel is loaded with regrets. [Cf. 1^st Samuel 8: 4-7, 10-22a.]  It’s also loaded with hindsight. Hindsight with negative consequences.

Of course parts of scriptures are written in the present tense - but in reality they are looking back.

A group in Israel comes to Samuel and tell him they want to have a king.

Samuel responds by telling them all that having a king will entail. It will mean you might lose your sons - your land - heavy duty taxing from you - tithing - big time tithing, etc. etc. etc.

In other words there are consequences. And they are consequences that will cost you and you will regret your decision in wanting to have a king.

It could be switching a job - a moving to a new house - getting a divorce - what have you.

The title of my homily is, “Regrets and Recovery.” 

Part one could also be entitled, “Cost and Consequences.”

It could also have the title, “Foresight and Hindsight”. That would be another reflective twosome for a homily.

RECOVERY; TODAY’S GOSPEL

Today’s gospel - Mark 2: 1-12 is a great text for reflection.

We can’t see them  - but I have a theory every person on the planet is carrying a back pack on their back. You’ve seen kids going down the street coming home or going into school with back packs.

Well everyone has their back pack. 

Question as in the Capital One Advertisements: “What’s in your pack?”

People carry their sins, their mistakes, their consequences, their regrets,  their story, their autobiography, on their backs.

And our past can paralyze us a bit.  Obviously, some more than others.

This guy in today’s gospel is paralyzed and his four friends carry him to Jesus.

They can’t worm their way through the crowd. Wait your turn.

So they go up on the roof and then  through the roof.

And they lower him in front of Jesus - and Jesus heals the man - starting with forgiveness of his sins.

And the man gets those consequences of his sins - off his back and he stands up straight healed and all are astounded and glorify God saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Let Jesus heal you.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Regrets and Recovery.”

Take some time to check what’s in your pack - the stuff that might be wearing you our and wearing you down.