It is 13th January 2017. We celebrate the memorial of St. Hilary, the Bishop and the Doctor of the Church. He defended the Church against those who denied the divinity of Christ. He is invoked against snakes. The readings are from Hebrews 4:1-5, 11; and the Gospel from Mark 2:1-12. The first reading speaks about the promise of enjoying the rest for all those are faithful to God. Every human soul is looking for the rest in God. The rest in the scripture could mean the seventh day of creation (Gen.2:2), or the weekly celebration of the Lord’s Day (Heb.4:4), or the rest in the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering (Deut.12:12), or to be at peace with God (Heb.4:1), or to have the eternal life with Christ in Heaven (Heb.4:8). God himself rested on the seventh day so as to mark the completion of God’s work. God wants us to enjoy God’s rest. For us believers, the rest means to be at peace with God in appreciating all that God has done to us. “For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God.”(Heb.4:3). Faith is the gift offered freely by God to the community. It is through such a believing community, the members have faith which offers them the desired rest for their souls. We are saved, healed and given the gift of faith in God for the sake of the community not for the individual benefits and upkeep only. The responsorial Psalm praises, “Do not forget the works of the Lord.” (Ps.77:7). The Gospel brings out vividly the power of healing in Jesus and the direct confrontation with the authorities. Jesus healed the paralytic man. We too are healed by the faith we profess in Christ. We all need a supportive faith-filled community to carry us to Jesus whenever we are not able on our own. None of us can reach Christ by our own personal effort singlehandedly when we are hit hard to the floor and humbled by sickness. Jesus is the only One could heal our wounds and soars of our bodies as well as souls. May you have a good day.