You just rise, and pick up your mat

My Sunday Scritpure 2009.2.22

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins? Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"-- he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home." He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."

Saint Mark 2,1-12




My Reading Notes:

It is as simply as that: When you hear the word, pick up your mat.
You just do the same. You just rise, and pick up your mat, and that
is ALL you need to do.

Or you can refuse to rise and never pick up your mat........

Jesus touched him

My Sunday Scripture 2009.2.15

A leper came to him (and kneeling down) begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Saint Mark 1,40-45.

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My reading notes:
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We do have sickness on earth. I can not explain this, though I could understand,
if there were no sickness, no evil, no bad things on earth, what would happened?
Bad things are necessary, and are part of the whole development.

Some were born with a difficult skin disease, and some were born with numerous
deflections. Actually, every single human being are born with some bad elements.
None of us are totally perfect without deflection. And we could die also.

The problems are: How are we to live through all these?

Can I live on with some or lots of deflection?

Now Jesus stretched out his hand.

What did Jesus give us?

A healing? may be. But on top of the healing, was Love.

Love is what Jesus had given us. He had brought love into the world.

With this special thinking power, we can handle ourselves and the
world properly.

He cured many who were sick

My Sunday Scripture 2009.2.8


On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

Saint Mark 1,29-39.


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My Reading Notes:
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May be this is the most difficult part for me to understand.
I can not stop thinking. What are the relations between the oridinary universal law
and miracle. In the cases of miracles, the oridinary laws are secondary.
Faith is always the first place, while the universal laws are secondary.

I used fisrt and second here to mean their difference. I never dare to
repudiate any one of them. Both the universal laws and miracles are
given to us through the Almighty God.

Though I do not understand this, I believe in faith. And I believe
that faith could do anything.....whether that is within or not within
the range of the universal laws. And one more thing, the universal laws
are also gifts from heaven, we are never to disregard them.