THEME: The mercy of God: our hope
In last Sunday´s liturgy Jesus confronts a physical image of sin (leprosy). Today liberation from sin itself is an explicit and central focus of the Readings. All God´s promises of salvation and forgiveness of sin have been fulfilled in Christ: God´s "Yes". It is something new when Jesus does what only God can do namely forgive sins. Sin wounds relationships; it darkens the intellect and weakens our wills to do the good. Sin isolates and increases the burden of guilt in the sinner.
One beautiful thing about the prophets is that, they never relent in pointing out the wrong doings of the Israelites. Even when they remain adamant and calamity befalls them, the same prophets will bring them God’s consolation. The first reading of today is no exception. This section of Isaiah forms part of Second Isaiah also known as the book of consolation. The Israelites are in exile in Babylon as a result of their sinful behaviour. The prophet gives them hope that in spite of their sins, God gives them a new beginning as far as His relationship with them is concerned. The prophet assures them, “Do not remember the former things, and consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18). God recognises the damage that sin has caused to his children and so He takes the initiative to reconcile them to himself.
The story of the Israelites is our own story. We have sinned and continue to sin in spite of the warnings from the prophets of today. The only way our praises and prayers can reach God is to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Him. However, the Lord recognises that our own strength continues to fail us and so the prophet says, “l, I am He who blots your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25).This prophecy of Isaiah that it is God himself who will blot out our sins is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, in the gospel reading of today.
The basic thrust of the gospel´s message here is not that, since Jesus is God, he can forgive sin, but rather that, since he forgives sin – and makes a paralytic walk - he is God himself. The scribes are correct in reserving forgiveness of sins to God, but they are only the first in a long line of people who have been unable to "swallow" the incarnation of the Son of God. The scandal of the new covenant God has made with us is that he has become human; and that moreover he has never revoked this decision, so that he still works through the humanity of Jesus, present in his body which is the Church.
The "authority on earth to forgive sins" that Jesus claims is an essential part of the "something new" that God is doing (First Reading) namely first, the power to forgive sins is now "on earth", no longer a hidden power exercised by God in the heavens. Second, it is a power that belongs to "the Son of Man", this man Jesus, who shows the reality of his authority by the miraculous cure of the paralytic. The initial amazement or scandal experienced by the bystanders quickly gave way to praise that God "should have given such power to men". And here is the third novelty: rather than "to man", Mark reports that it is seen as given "to men" -to us, for whom and through whom the Savior´s power to forgive is exercised.
If we appreciate the magnitude of the gift of divine life God has given us, we will realize that "sin is excluded for anyone who has ´put on Christ.´ But the apostle John also says: ´If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us´" (1John 1:8; CCC 1425). Therefore none of us can do without the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Today´s Psalm makes all of us say, "Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you". So that all of us can hear, "Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace." It is true that with the grace of God it is possible to avoid grave sin; nevertheless, since even our everyday failings diminish love and are subject to the sclerotic, paralyzing effect of all sin, a smart Christian will seek the grace of the sacrament frequently. Not exclusively because he or she has sinned; but so he or she will not sin. Confession is not a "car wash for the soul"; it is the sacrament of fight against sin in all its forms, the most powerful instrument we have for that purpose. And a loving encounter with Christ himself, present in the priest.
Unfortunately, the third element of God´s "new ways" – remains for some a stumbling block. Sadly, there are still Christians who live in the Old Testament and are scandalized by the appearance of God´s mercy wrapped in human form. After twenty centuries of Christian teaching, we do not contest the incarnation of the Son of God in Jesus. But, in practice, we contest his continuing incarnation in his Church and in his ministers especially as far as the Sacrament of Reconciliation is concerned. By overcoming, with a profound act of faith, whatever difficulties or simple negligence affects our appreciation and practice of this extraordinary gift of God´s mercy, we give a resounding "yes" to Christ who is God´s "yes" to us.
In conclusion, what in your life does God need to heal?” I believe that is why we are here. That is why we gather week after week to celebrate Eucharist. We come so that we might joyfully receive this bread from heaven, this bread that heals our withered hearts. As we receive this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace and the courage to desire and accept God’s healing. It is the faith of the man´s friends that bring him to Jesus and moves Jesus to say, "Your sins are forgiven", and it is the faith of the Church which prays daily for the forgiveness of sinners –all of us, her children- that bring us to him when of ourselves we are unable. We are the beneficiaries of that prayer; but because we are the Church we are also the ones who must pray every day in her name for those who need to be carried before the Lord.
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