Timothy Kubiak '22 - Reflection

Timothy Kubiak ’22 – Reflection

all boys catholic augustinian high schoolHello, my name is Timothy Kubiak, and I am a junior here at the Prep. I would first like to thank Father Di Gregorio, prior provincial of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova and chair of the board, Father Murray, Head of School at the Prep, and all of the board members for the opportunity to represent my Hermit Brothers today.

The theme of this meeting is student wellness, and Father Murray invited me to give a reflection on healing, regarding covid. I chose a passage from the Gospel of Luke that demonstrates healing.

Luke 5: 17–26
One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees* and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles* into the middle in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”* Then the scribes* and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”j Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? * l But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”

Reflection
Today, every one of us is plagued with numerous ailments. COVID-19 relentlessly infects millions around the world, and the divides in the nation seem only to grow. All throughout His ministry, Christ healed people of their illnesses, restoring them to the fullness of life. Today, Christ does the same. Jesus is the cure to our ailments. It seems as though we are nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, for the vaccine rollout is in full swing. None of this would be possible if it were not for Christ. God is the source of all cures, as demonstrated by Jesus in this passage from the Gospel of Luke. It is through unceasing prayer and hopes that humanity will overcome this pandemic; God always answers our prayers, for Christ said “To the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” A once-thought impossible task of developing and distributing a vaccine in such a short amount of time was made possible. All things are possible through Christ. We must continue to pray that we display the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our push to end this pandemic and heal every wound. Providing comfort and showing compassion to those suffering with COVID-19, withholding any judgment on their choices regarding masks, social gathering, and travel, and underlying conditions is the work of Christ. Only through the love and humility of Christ can the divides of the nation, those that stemmed from the coronavirus, be mended.
Christ forgave the sins of the men bringing the paralyzed man first. Then, He cured the man’s paralysis. There is an importance to the order in which Christ healed the men, in various ways, in this story. The Lord brings healing to the things of this world, but He, more importantly, brings healing to our souls. We should first seek to be healed of our spiritual ailments by Christ. Then, we can show this same mercy and unconditional love to our neighbors. Let us mend the gashes of prejudice and condemnation, as many today create more division about the choices of one another regarding health and safety in this pandemic. Reconciling ourselves with Christ allows us to be reconciled with our neighbor, regardless of the boundaries that hate and a virus can put in between. We do not know the situation of everyone we meet; they might be suffering in ways we don’t know, whether it is through illness, loss, or separation. Let us aid physical and emotional healing through spiritual healing – We shall Entreat Christ to heal our spiritual illnesses, and division and hatred surrounding this pandemic will be cured through our participation in the work of Christ in our everyday lives.

Prayer
O Saint Augustine, in this time of uncertainty, intercede for us that we may receive the gifts of true faith, in order to trust in the Lord’s forgiveness. Pray that we may show this same mercy to our brothers and sisters, supporting one another on the journey to good health and community once again. O Lord, unite us in love with our neighbor and Yourself in our time of need.

•••

This past spring during quarantine, I was invited to live-stream the morning prayer from my living room to the Prep Community. I believe this really brought the sense of the Augustinian community into every student’s home. This was a great moment of unity for my brothers, an Augustinian core value.

I would also like to thank Father Murray and the Leadership Team for the opportunity to be safely present at the Prep every day. There is nothing like learning in-person with my brothers in an Augustinian community.