Pick Up Your Mat
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” Mk 2:1-12
I imagine that, if I were this paralytic and had just been healed by Jesus, the first thing I would want to do is abandon the mat to which I had been confined. It was an outward a sign of his ailment and it’s resultant weakness. Plus, it was probably dirty, worn and stinky. What use could it possibly have for him in the future? Why in the world would Jesus tell him to carry it home with him?
Reflecting on God’s work in his own life, St. Augustine wrote, “In my deepest wound I saw your glory, and it dazzled me.” For this paralytic, his mat is a symbol of his deep woundedness and so, as he is healed, it is transformed into both a reminder of his former wound and a testament to his miraculous healing. His mat is a telltale sign of the wonderful way God has worked in his life. By asking him to carry his mat home with him, Jesus is inviting this man to remember his personal journey from brokenness to wholeness. He is asking him to remember what God has done for him.
What is your ‘mat?’ What are the visible signs in your home, on your body, or on your heart of the ways in which Jesus has healed you and transformed your life? Do you try to hide these reminders, or do you allow them to share a powerful message of God’s power and glory with the world?
My wife and I have been "mentors" for three different couples preparing for marriage over the last four years. We are also about to help start marriage preparation ministry at our own parish. It is in conversations with these couples that I have most seen the grace pour forth from the wounds and missteps in our marriage. When we sit down to talk about what keeping the marriage vows really means, that is when we get out our "mat" and put it on display. We can do that only because the Lord has healed each of us so that we can get off it and walk.
Tremendous that you and your wife are able to help folks in their marriage prep! Thank you for letting them see God's presence and action in your life!