Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“As for you, your sins are forgiven.”

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
“What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
“We have seen incredible things today.” LK 5:17-26

We have another Advent reading about someone who will not allow any oblstacles in their life to reach Jesus. The results: their faith saves them. They believe in Jesus. Jesus does not claim to be God this time, He proves it. The scribes and Pharisees judge Jesus correctly, only God can forgive sins. Jesus is God and He has the power and authority to forgive sins. This separates Jesus from every religious leader to ever walk the earth. Still don’t believe. Jesus said He would die and rise in three days. 500 witnesses encountered the risen Christ. He ate with them and was not a ghost. He walked with them on the road to Emmaus and explained that He had fulfilled the Scriptures. Mary Magdalene spoke with Jesus in the garden and saw the empty tomb. John and Peter ran into the tomb and saw the burial cloths of Christ. Thomas, the Apostle, put his hand into Jesus’ side and stuck his fingers in Christ’s hands then spoke, “My Lord and my God.” Still don’t believe, neither did the Apostles, they stayed hidden in the upper room. Ahh, but then something happened, the Holy Spirit came upon them. The one Christ said we would need to know and speak the Truth, the Holy Spirit. What will it take for you to see incredible things? They are happening all around you all of the time, you must have the eyes of faith. How do you receive them? Do not allow any obstacles to come between you and Christ. Seek Him out in the Scriptures, in the silence of your heart, in the Eucharist and reconciliation, in the people around you, in the Church and the adoration chapel. He is still sacrificing for us staying hidden behind bread and wine and is within each one of us in the Holy Spirit. Don’t allow the devil or your fallen human nature to steal the joy God gives you every day. Now is the time to reconcile yourself with God, start fresh, and allow Him to transform your life. Repent and be saved! You will see incredible things!

Today’s challenge: Find the places in your life that are creating obstacles to Christ. Ask God for His grace to fight those obstacles. Do whatever it takes to seek Jesus, never giving up! There are no excuses. God is always faithful, be faithful to Him.

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO