The Messiah gives life in abundance (Monday, Advent 2, St Ambrose)

Introduction

Christ comes not only to give us life but to give us life in abundance. When he comes, water shall break forth in the desert and streams in the wilderness. Through Him and in Him we shall have life if we have faith as the paralyzed man and those who brought him. We celebrate a man of faith, St Ambrose who was chosen to be a bishop when he was still a catechumen. People believed God and believed in Ambrose, that was why they chose him to be a bishop while he was still a catechumen. Ambrose believed in God and believed in Himself. Despite the fact that he was ordained a bishop while he was still catechumen, God still used him mightily in the salvation of souls. In fact, he was one of the instruments God used for the conversion of Augustine. 

Homily Proper

One of the most consoling quotes in the Bible is John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance”. Physically and spiritually, there is a difference between having life and having life in abundance both physically and spiritually. Physically, someone in the hospital has life but doesn’t have it in abundance. A certain man once said that when he was very rich, physically he had life in abundance but spiritually he was suffocating. But when he lost some of his possessions, he began to know inner peace. And it was from that point that he spiritually began to have life in abundance.

Isaiah (cf. 35:1-10) prophesied to the exiled people of Judah (who seemed to have lost all hope) that by the power of God, “water” shall break forth in the “wilderness” and “streams” shall flow in the “desert”. “Water” is symbolic of life; and “desert” or “wilderness” is symbolic of hopelessness, suffocation, death and dryness. From this Isaiah’s prophecy to the people of Judah, we can learn that it is only God who can breathe life into a dead situation; and give hope to a hopeless situation. Though we may be physically alive, sometimes we can be spiritually dead. But let us not lose hope and faith completely: God can still make “water” flow in the “desert” of our lives. 

In the gospel (cf. Luke 5:17-26), the paralyzed man and his helpers are icons of faith and hope. The situation of paralysis was a hopeless one. Physically, no assuring medical intervention was foreseeable in the case of paralysis. Spiritually, the Jews believed that “paralysis” had something to do with a fractured relationship with God brought about by sin. Despite all these odds, the paralyzed man and those who brought him had faith and hope. Furthermore, they would have been discouraged by the near impossibility of entering the hall where Jesus was. They would have also been discouraged by the obstacle that may be mounted by the Pharisees (the Pharisees opposed almost everything that Jesus did and stood for). But they (the paralyzed man and his helpers) defiled all odds and obstacles, went through the roof in order to have access to Jesus. They believed in Jesus; and they acted according to their faith. And because of their sheer faith in Christ, the paralyzed man was able to regain his life; he was made whole again. 

“Paralysis” and “desert” stand for hopelessness, hardship, suffocation and spiritual death. We may be experiencing some forms of “paralysis” and “desert” situations: ill-health, shaky businesses, marriage problems, financial straits, sour relationships, spiritual death, etc. And we may be facing different degrees of obstacles to our liberation, wholeness and healing. Sometimes we might have thought and believed that nothing can be done about our situations. Let’s always remember the story of the paralyzed man; let’s have faith in Jesus and believe that something can be done. Jesus has done it before; and He will do it again and again.