Scripture readings for today's reflection can be found at Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
During
this week we’ve been hearing about Jesus as told through the Gospel of St.
Mark. Earlier this week we hear of John the Baptist saying of Jeus, “One mightier than I is coming after me.” (Mark 1:7) Then we hear of Jesus entering the
synagogue and all the people being astonished at His teachings, “for he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22) Then Jesus goes on to heal Simon Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:31), then cures the leper. (Mark 1:41) Jesus is developing a
reputation of being a great prophet. He was bringing God’s love and healing to
those who felt distant from God.
In
today’s gospel we see Jesus has already attracted a large following. A
following so large that these friends who wanted to help their paralytic friend
were unable to get in through the front entrance. They heard about the power of
Jesus and wanted their friend to be healed. As a result, they did not let the
blocked entrance stop them from bringing their friend to Jesus for healing.
Once
inside, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) This didn’t sit
well with the scribes. Right away they accuse Jesus of blasphemy. After all,
who can forgive sins but God alone? This was a teaching moment for Jesus for
the scribes and all those around him. Not only can he heal any physical
problems someone is having, but he can also forgive their sins.
In this gospel, we are to learn two things: first, we
can always turn to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness of our sins. He does that now
through the sacrament of confession. We need to always realize that we are
sinners, and we are able to receive that forgiveness of sins through
confession. Regular use of the sacrament brings healing and peace to us in our
lives.
Second, in addition to ourselves turning to Jesus when
we have problems or issues, we can be like these friends in today’s Gospel: we
are called to bring others to Jesus Christ. We all know people who may not be
in relationship with Jesus Christ. They may have problems and issues that seem
to be insurmountable. They may feel alienated or distant from Jesus and His
Church. We are called to bring the love of Christ to them by how we live out
our lives as Christians. We are to show them the love of God by how we love
them in turn. Then we can invite them to attend mass with us on Sunday so they
can experience this love of Jesus firsthand. Further, if they seem unwilling to
come to the Lord at Mass, we can pray for them to know that the Lord truly
loves them. By praying for them and their intentions, God will respond in ways
that will be beneficial to them at whatever point they are in their lives and
in their relationship with God. The Lord will hear our prayers in ways that we
may never know.
Let us continue to pray for ourselves and those we
love to grow ever closer to Jesus. Let us pray as we heard in the psalm for
today: “For ever I will sing of the goodness of the Lord.”
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteThe scribes actually asked the right question, even though their accusation was incorrect. It is true that only GOD can forgive sins. The reason that JESUS could forgive sins and tell the man who was paralyzed "Your sins are forgiven" is that JESUS IS GOD. The fact that Our LORD'S words of forgiveness were followed by the healing of the man's physical paralysis was proof that Our LORD JESUS is GOD Who has the power to forgive sins and to heal people not only of physical illnesses & disabilities but also of psychological and spiritual ills as well.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation the priest serves as the instrument of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and it is OUR LORD JESUS Himself Who is forgiving our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance/confession through the words and actions of the priest.
The friends of the man who was paralyzed show great faith and determination by not allowing the obstacles of the crowded room to interfere with getting their friend to JESUS to be healed. They were probably surprised & maybe even a little disappointed when the first words of JESUS were to forgive sins, since their goal was to get their friend physically healed. But Our LORD, because He is GOD, knew the man's soul and his primary need was for forgiveness and spiritual healing and that there was probably a link between his spiritual need and his physical need. I am sure his friends felt greatly relieved and filled with gratitude when Our LORD subsequently gave their friend his physical healing that they had sought for him and at last they saw their friend get up and walk.
YES, we need to be good witness for Our LORD by our example, our love and our words and we need to keep praying for them. If the friends of the man who was paralyzed could speak to us today about the people in our lives who need healing and need the LORD'S touch in their lives, I think they would tell us "NEVER GIVE UP"!