+The past few days I've been discussing with our novices, Brs. Robert and Rafael, St. Benedict's vision of community living. Yesterday the three of us began our class by reading the story in Mark 2:1-12 about the paralyzed man whose friends climbed onto the roof of the house where Jesus was and lowered their friend down on his mat so that Jesus could heal him.
The lesson is pretty obvious, I suppose: Often, when we're struggling or in pain or are discouraged, we rely on others to carry us to God. At other times, we are the ones holding the ropes and presenting a friend to the Lord.
Reflecting on this passage with my two young brothers combined with my recollections of my experience of recuperating from knee surgery a month ago, when various brothers had to bring me my meals or Holy Communion and whatever else I needed. It was a gratifying experience to see how cheerfully and willingly each of them pitched in to help me. It was a powerful parable about depending on God. Like most people, I don't think very often about how dependent I am on God for everything -- starting with breathing and heartbeats. But the two weeks of depending on others gave me a valuable opportunity to see just how dependent I really am on God and on others.
I start to think about how I pray when I'm feeling afraid or discouraged. I imagine myself in the place of the paralyzed man. I'm lying, paralysed, suspended precariously between the ceiling and the crowded floor, swinging on four ropes. I've squeezed my eyes shut to lessen the fear of being dropped, or of one of the ropes breaking. Somehow this seems like a very special time and place to pray. My approach to Jesus is honest and sincere. Then I take a peek at the hole in the roof, expecting to see up there the faces of my four friends and their four ropes. I'm shocked at what I see.
Over my head are dozens of ropes attached to my mat, and hundreds of faces looking down at me. I recognize a lot of familiar faces of people who've promised to pray for me. But there are dozens of others, too, whom I'm sure I've never seen before, but they each have a rope, too. The communion of saints, present and past. I'm overwhelmed with the realization that, far from approaching Jesus alone in time of need, I'm being borne along by hundreds and thousands of brothers and sisters.
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