MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT
Luke 5:17–26
Reflect
Jesus is often surrounded by crowds. At times he teaches from a boat close to the shore so that he won’t be pressed by the crowd. Zacchaeus famously climbs a tree to get a glimpse of the Lord. All three synoptic Gospels record the event of men lowering a stretcher through a roof, in hopes that Jesus would heal a paralyzed man, because they could not reach Jesus through the crowd (see Lk 5:19). The moment is powerful because all of us need, at times, to be carried by our friends to Christ. We, too, need our friends to encourage us and to lift us up in prayer. We need friends who are determined, friends who are faithful.
Pray
O God, we pray that you bless our friends with sound bodies and sound minds. Through the abundance of your grace, may they be empowered to love you with all their might and fulfill your will with unwavering devotion. Amen.
Live
Pray a decade of the Rosary today, meditating on the mystery of the Visitation. Consider that Mary runs to support Elizabeth and shares with her God’s faithfulness.
