How Far Will You Go For a Friend?

The Gospel of Matthew 9:1 says Jesus came into his own city where there was a man sick of palsy, who
obviously needed healing. While he could do nothing about it himself, his friends wanted to make sure the
man received the touch he needed and carried him, lying on a stretcher, to Jesus. I am always captivated by
the faith and perseverance of the men who carried their friend. Take a moment and imagine what they must
have done to provide their friend with the gift of healing. How far would I go for a friend? This was the
question I asked myself as I was reading this Sunday’s Gospel.
We have something that others need: Undaunted by the crowd, the men somehow got the man to Jesus.
What an ordeal that must have been! Each one of us is surrounded by harassed and helpless people. We see
them at work, in our neighborhood, at the mall – and often in our own families. As Christians we possess a
grace that each of them needs to truly live. It is only when we look at others’ lives through the lens of the
gospel that we see their true condition. From the outside, many people look just fine; while their exterior
may appear wonderful, they feel dead on the inside. For many of us, it’s hard to believe that people need
what we have. We take our faith for granted, not aware that others are like that man sick of palsy on the
inside.
We can become an instrument God uses and we must watch for divine opportunities. We can simply share
our hope in the passion, death, resurrection of Christ for our redemption and the difference that He has
made in our lives right now. As stretcher carriers, we are called to bring people before Christ and leave
the results with Him. One of the greatest single barriers to helping another come close to our Lord involves
the issue of inconvenience. Our schedules can be so hectic and our lives already stressed. Yet we have a call
to get involved in others’ lives and it might get a little messy. In our Gospel reading for today, the friends of
the sick man showed an example of true commitment to the needs of another when they traveled the streets.
They showed a determination many of us can emulate.