School Homily: Friday, January 14, 2005 (Jesus Heals)

A boy named Tyler was standing in his backyard looking up at the roof of his house. It was a busy place, because there were several men climbing up and down ladders. They had cut a big square hole in the roof. Tyler’s Dad came up behind him and grinned. He said, “It’s going to be great to have a skylight in the kitchen. It’s really going to brighten it up!”

Tyler smiled back at his Dad as he watched the workmen carefully lifting up a big window. “Wow, this is just like the Gospel story we heard at Mass. It was about the four men who brought their sick friend to Jesus. They cut a hole in the roof and let him down to Jesus.”

Dad nodded. “I know the story,” he said. “There was such a crowd around the house that they couldn’t get the sick man in through the door.”

Tyler looked up at his own roof once again. He said, “Even with power tools it’s a big job to cut a hole in the roof. I’m trying to figure out how those guys in Bible times could climb up a ladder with a heavy stretcher and do all that!”

Tyler’s Dad said, “The roof in the Gospel was probably flatter than ours—and maybe covered with branches and heavy grass instead of wood and tiles. And there may have been outside steps going up to it, because people would climb up there when it got too hot inside.”

Tyler thought about that. “Maybe. Anyway, my friend Danny and I were wishing we could take Eric on a stretcher and carry him to Jesus and let Jesus heal him,” Tyler told his Dad.

“You can do that in prayer, Tyler,” his Dad said gently.

Tyler looked at his father sadly. “We have, Dad, but Eric still has cancer. Doesn’t Jesus heal anymore?”

“Jesus still heals,” his Dad assured him. “Sometimes He does it with doctors; sometimes with a miracle. But sometimes, like with Grandma, he takes the person to heaven. There is no sickness there.

“Keep praying, and visit Eric whenever you can,” Dad told him. “Tell him about the skylight. If I were sick, it would make me feel better just to know I had two friends who would like to put me on a stretcher, carry me up a ladder, and cut a hole in the roof to get me to Jesus.”

* * *

Do you have a friend or relative who’s very sick? Do you feel there’s nothing you can do? Actually, there are several things you can do.

You can pray for that person. Jesus always hears your prayers to help others. You can ask God at this Mass to please take care of that person, or cure him. You can pray a Rosary… or pray an Our Father or some Hail Marys—in fact, think of the spiritual bouquets you promised Fr. Motsett on his anniversary last month; any of those prayers would be excellent for the sick!

You can also visit the person, if he’s able to have a visitor, and pray with him. You don’t have to feel funny or embarrassed. Just say something like, “Would it be OK if we prayed an Our Father together and ask Jesus to make you better?” Most people would really like that.

You can also do little deeds like sending a card, a cheerful note, a little picture you made or a story you wrote—anything to let the sick person know you care and that Jesus does, too.
In our first reading today, we heard: “We have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.” For two thousand years, people have been listening to the story of the friends carrying their friend to the roof and lowering him on a stretcher to be healed by Jesus… and for two thousand years, they have been inspired to pray and do good deeds for their friends who are ill.

And now the Psalm says, “Do not forget the works of the Lord!” That means that now that we have heard this story, it’s our turn to pray and do good deeds for our friends who need healing! We know that Jesus loves them and will help them—if only we ask! Think about who you can bring to Jesus today… and then get to work!