Does Your Faith Drive You?

When four men were bringing their paralyzed friend to meet Jesus, they encountered a serious obstacle. Arriving at the house Jesus was teaching in, they could not enter since the crowds had already filled the house. They couldn’t even get near to Jesus with their sick friend. They might have given up if not for their faith. The Gospel of Mark says, “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.” (Mark 2.4) From a hole in the roof, they lowered their friend to Jesus. What followed their climbing on the roof is quite important. The Gospel continues, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2.5)

It was their faith that Jesus praised that day in Capernaum, but not just their faith. They could have had faith and stayed at home praying that God would heal their friend. They could have had faith and waited their turn outside for Jesus to finish preaching and leave the house. But their faith was so strong, that it drove them to not give up. Their faith drove them to make sure their paralyzed friend encountered Jesus. Their faith drove them to bring their friend into God’s holy presence. It was this driving faith that Jesus honored that day.

Faith comes in all shapes and sizes, but ultimately it must be enough to drive us closer to God. This is why, especially during Great and Holy Lent, the Church increases the opportunities for us to have a real encounter with Jesus Christ in His Church. With divine services daily during the Great and Holy Lent, there is no excuse for us to “give up and stay at home,” just because it might be inconvenient to come to meet Jesus in His Church. And just like in the Gospel, when we come to His Church, we come into His real presence, not just waiting politely outside for Him to come to us.

Does your faith drive you? If you spend another Great and Holy Lent just living and experiencing the same life you always live, you will be no different than the crowd watching from a distance. Take full advantage of Great and Holy Lent, and allow your faith to drive you closer to God. It is when you finally allow your faith to drive you that you will hear God say to you, “Your sins are forgiven.”