The Gospel of today is about the paralytic whom his four friends brought to the LORD JESUS lowering him through the roof, when our LORD saw their faith HE said to the paralytic man (Mark 2: 5) “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mar 2: 11) “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” The man stood up and walked in front of all those who were there and they were all amazed to the extent that they said (Mar 2: 12 ) “ We have never seen anything like this!”

Today is the second Sunday of the month of Baounah, the Sundays of this month all goes around the work of the HOLY SPIRIT and that is because this month coincides with the Feast of the dissention of the HOLY SPIRIT and so the fathers of the Church arranged the readings of this month to be going around the work of the HOLY SPIRIT from the point of view of our salvation.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is the last end of the story of salvation. The LORD JESUS in HIS incarnation has blessed the human nature, and then at HIS crucifixion HE solved the problem of sin and in HIS resurrection solved the problem of death. So the human nature was blessed, sin was absolved, and the rule of death was lifted from human nature and thus man became ready for the dwelling of the HOLY SPIRIT. For the LORD to dwell in us, first the human nature must be blessed because it was cursed, then the sin must be absolved and the sentence of death which was put on the human nature must be lifted and thus the human nature becomes ready for the LORD GOD to dwell inside us, (2Co 6) “For we are the temple of the living God “ and this is the aim for the story of salvation.

So the Gospels of the month of Baounah are all talking about the HOLY SPIRIT who is dwelling in us, for this the holy fathers of the Church chose the miracle of the healing of the paralytic man for the second Sunday. This is a famous miracle mentioned in the Gospel of St Mathew chapter 9, St Mark chapter 2 and St Luke chapter 5. A very famous and well known miracle which we all know. A paralytic man who had four friends who had full confidence in the LORD JESUS that HE can cure their friend, they went to the house where the LORD JESUS was in at that day, but they could not get in because of the big crowd and so they climbed to the roof and uncovered it and lowered their friend in front of the LORD JESUS, the LORD JESUS forgave him his sins and when the people around in the house got suspicious, HE said to the paralytic man to get up, carry his bed and go home, and the man did.

What is the work of the HOLY SPIRIT in this miracle?

The four friends have 3 of the many HOLY SPIRIT fruits. They have faith, they have hope, and they have love. Faith, hope, and love are some of the many fruits of the HOLY SPIRIT.

What is the faith they had? Their friend is paralyzed but they are sure that the LORD JESUS is able to cure him, if we have any doubt we would not have endured the trouble. The place is crowded and we cannot get in and even if we fight to get in and our friend is not cured then we would have done our part…….But this was not how they thought, they were sure that he will be cured, for St Mathew and St Mark said: “Mat 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Faith is the belief in the word of the LORD GOD when HE says “Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God” I should believe HIM. Let me ask you a question when something happens to us why do we get troubled and worried, lack of faith. When I get in a problem I start saying the LORD has forgotten me, HE does not love me anymore or listen to me, lack of faith. I committed a sin and confessed and repented, is it possible that the LORD GOD can forgive me? Lack of faith, lack of faith! Not believing in HIS words, HIS words say that HE is good, HE protects me, and HE forgives…….HIS words say all things work together for good to them. All these words we know because we read HIS words and are keeping these words in our minds, and the more we read, the more these words go deeper into our minds and when the heaven and earth shake in front of me, my trust in HIS goodness shall never shake.

Okay a question; this trust and faith, how do they come? Let me tell you, this is the work of the HOLY SPIRIT in you, HE gives you this faith and trust, full trust in the LORD JESUS “Psalm 27:3 If a host encamps against me, my heart shall not fear; if war rise against me, in this will I be confident.” So when the hardship comes on me I shall not get worried because my beloved JESUS tells me “all things work together for good”. But I am still worried…..lack of faith. Okay, but I want to increase this faith to the limit that makes me calm and not suspicious, I know all these words in my mind but I want to believe it and live it when I read “If a host encamps against me, my heart shall not fear” I might say this is strength and nerves of steel, no, this is faith. Okay where do I get it from? From the HOLY SPIRIT, Satisfy the SPIRIT, hear the words of the SPIRIT, do not quench the SPIRIT, and do not resist the SPIRIT. Live the commandment of our LORD and the SPIRIT shall give you all this.

HE also gives you hope:

The four friends are carrying their paralyzed friend and they have one aim or goal in front of their eyes and that is that we are going to walk out of this house with our paralyzed friend walking out with us. What is hope? The hope is faith…. belief, but what is the difference between faith and hope?

The faith is the believing in things the LORD JESUS has done, the hope believes in things the LORD JESUS shall do. Hope is faith, but faith in things that shall happen.

The faith is you believing in things the LORD JESUS has done: HIS incarnation, cruse fiction, resurrection and other things that has already happened.

Okay then what is the hope? The hope is our believing in things that shall happen, but what are these things that shall happen?

The LORD JESUS is in the house, the roof is removed and the paralyzed man is lowered in front of the LORD. We are the roof which shall be opened but it is not us that will be lowered in front of the LORD, but it is the LORD JESUS himself shall come to us in HIS second coming on the clouds. The moment of the second coming, the sky opens, and the LORD JESUS appears in all glory and with HIM all the righteous and the saints who preceded us coming on the clouds. Ok, we are the living ones who will be present at the time, when we are caught in the air to meet the LORD, and so we will be with the LORD all the time. This is our hope that the LORD JESUS CHRIST is coming, and there is a second coming for the LORD JESUS and that we have eternal life with HIM. It is in a moment in the blink of an eye that you will see the sky opening and the LORD JESUS CHRIST coming back, This is not an idea, it is not a belief, it is certain. Whatever hardship that comes on us, the LORD JESUS is coming. Why do we stand praying looking towards the East? Because the LORD JESUS is coming. We are leaving everything and going, and what strengthen this hope in us, the HOLY SPIRIT.

Faith, hope and love.

Those Friends, do they love their friend? They love him so much, and because of their love, they have suffered with him a lot of troubles. If we ask now about the love between us, everyone will say, and me the first one to say, that I love but no one loves me, nobody is feeling my love. I think that this is the ultimate contradiction, that we feel that we love but we don’t feel that we are been loved, the ultimate contradiction because the spirit is week.

What is love? Love is not feelings nor it is talking but it is an act. Today I will ask you to gather your family at home and read together the First letter to the Corinthians chapter 13, love is acting. Love has long patience, love is when I ask for something I believe that it will happen but not necessarily to happen tomorrow. Love does not envy the one who is before me, If he has have something I do not have, love is not to feel proud over the others because I have something they don’t have. If I love I will not swirl or reveals the wrong doings of the others, if I love I will not impute evil. Read 1 Co 13. Love is the first fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT, and we are asked to love, when the love is strong the SPIRIT shall be strong, and when love is week the SPIRIT in us will be week.

Doing of the HOLY SPIRIT, ask HIM: Strengthen us in faith, hope and love these three, but the greatest of them is love. The love of our LORD JESUS CHRIST includes us all. Good News