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February 19, 2012--7th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Our Pastor's Message -- Continued from welcome page
Take the Jewish authorities. In their minds, Jesus did not fit the picture of the Messiah. He was a Galilean and a carpenter’s son. In last week’s readings, he healed Simon’s mother-in-law by touching her; he did not worry about himself in touching the leper. He brought the leper back to his community while he himself was staying out in the deserted place. And he was working, healing, and cleansing the sick on the Sabbath; he was breaking the laws. There was no way he could be God’s chosen One. And so they grumbled, complained and totally missed who was in their midst.
“Who can forgive sins except God alone?” Many of the people missed the point since they did not know the identity of Jesus. Because Jesus is divine; he is equal to his heavenly Father in all things; he could and did forgive sins on his own authority. He did so in his own human way. Jesus had easily forgiven the sins of the paralyzed man by a simple act of his will, “My son, your sins are forgiven”. Have I missed what he meant? It is to show he has the power to forgive sins.
Jesus confirmed the power of his words by a miracle. Because the remission of sin is invisible, there was no test to the power of his words, but when he said to the paralytic, “stand up, pick up your mat, and walk”, everyone witnessed the effect of his Words. When the man stood up, it was a sign for everyone that Jesus had not only cured the man with his Words, but he had equally forgiven his sins with his Words. Jesus is calling us all to stand up from our falls, to be healed from our sickness, and to respond to his invitation through his Words.
As Catholics one of our greatest gifts from God is the sacrament of penance. We are blessed to be able to hear a human voice express our forgiveness and to feel the reconciling touch of a human hand. We are invited to open ourselves up to new possibilities and new ways of seeing things. It calls us to be willing to look at our relationships with God and others in a new light, to think ‘[outside the box’, and to look further with the ‘eye of faith’. With open heart and willing spirits, may we recognize his presence among us today. Do not be surprised and listen: “your sins are forgiven - pick up your mat and walk”. Amen. Fr. Huy