20190118
FINDING
PEACE THROUGH FAITH AND FORGIVENESS
18 JANUARY,
2019, Friday, 1st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Hebrews 4:1-5,11 ©
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None of you has
come too late for God's promise
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Be
careful: the promise of reaching the place of rest that God had for the
Israelites still holds good, and none of you must think that he has come too
late for it. We received the Good News exactly as they did; but hearing the
message did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who
listened. We, however, who have faith, shall reach a place of rest, as in the
text: And so, in anger, I
swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them. God’s work was undoubtedly all
finished at the beginning of the world; as one text says, referring to the
seventh day: After all his
work God rested on the seventh day. The
text we are considering says: They
shall not reach the place of rest I had for them. We must therefore do everything we can
to reach this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example
of disobedience and be lost.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 77(78):3-4,6-8 ©
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Never
forget the deeds of the Lord.
The
things we have heard and understood,
the
things our fathers have told us,
these
we will not hide from their children
but
will tell them to the next generation:
Never
forget the deeds of the Lord.
the
glories of the Lord and his might
and
the marvellous deeds he has done,
that
the next generation might know it,
the
children yet to be born.
Never
forget the deeds of the Lord.
They
too should arise and tell their sons
that
they too should set their hope in God
and
never forget God’s deeds
but
keep every one of his commands,
Never
forget the deeds of the Lord.
so
that they might not be like their fathers,
a
defiant and rebellious race,
a
race whose heart was fickle,
whose
spirit was unfaithful to God.
Never
forget the deeds of the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten
the eyes of our mind,
so
that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk7:16
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
A
great prophet has appeared among us;
God
has visited his people.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 2:1-12 ©
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The Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins
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When
Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many
people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was
preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic
carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him,
they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made
an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their
faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now
some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this
man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus,
inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you
have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the
paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher
and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to
forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up,
pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his
stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all
astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’
FINDING PEACE
THROUGH FAITH AND FORGIVENESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HEB 4:1-5, 11; PSALM 78:3-4, 6-8; MARK 2:1-12 ]
Just like the Israelites
during the time of Moses, we are all looking for a place of rest. For them, they were seeking physical
rest because they had been wondering in the desert for forty years, living in
uncertainty over their food and defending themselves from the attacks of their
enemies. Our desire for rest is more than physical rest. It is the
desire for peace, love, joy and unity within our hearts and with our fellowmen,
and most of all, with God. Indeed, like the man in the gospel who was
paralyzed by his lack of faith in God and his sins, we too are paralyzed by our
past and the fear of the future.
If we have no peace, it
is because of the lack of faith in God, which leads us to sin. This is what Hebrews wants us to
learn from the Israelites. The author says, “Be careful: the promise of
reaching the place of rest God had for the Israelites still holds good, and
none of you must think that he has come too late for it. We received the Good
News exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because they
did not share the faith of those who listened.” It was because they
lacked faith in God’s promise and divine providence that they began to take
things into their own hands, disobeyed His will and chose their own path to
happiness. Because of disobedience due to the lack of faith in God, we
too refuse to listen to God and His Word. In choosing our own foolish
ways, we fall into sin. Hence, the author urges the Christians and us as
well, “We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, or
some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost.”
The paralyzed man in the
gospel was suffering from the effects of disobedience and sin. He could not forgive his past
mistakes. Hence, he could not move forward in life. He was
wallowing in his past. The stretcher that he laid on was his
security. Besides indulging in self-pity, as many of us do when we are
suffering because of our mistakes and folly, he was seeking pity. Because
of his past failures, he lacked the confidence to face the future. This
is true for us too. Imprisoned by our past and our shame, we have lost
our self-esteem and pride. That is why criminals and ex-offenders are
fearful of returning to society to start a new life again because they are
ashamed of their past and afraid that their past might be revealed.
Jesus, being the Son of
Man and the Son of God, understands the struggles of humanity more than any one
of us do. He knows what it
means to be tempted and to live a life of faith. He too was tempted by
Satan in the desert and in fact throughout His ministry, especially at the
Garden of Gethsemane. That is why the author also affirms that “we do not
have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:15f)
As the Compassionate
High Priest, Jesus turned to the paralyzed man, aware of his deepest needs said
to him with tenderness and love, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” How beautiful the words of Jesus!.
Those were sweet words of assurance and reminder to him that he was a
child of God even though he thought that God no longer treated him as His
child. He thought that his physical illness was God’s punishment and
rejection of him for his grievous sins. However, the Lord assured him
that God had forgiven his sins and that he was truly the child of God. We can
imagine the joy, the peace in his heart, for he has been set free from his
past. He could now find the strength to start his life all over again
because his past no longer had a crippling effect on him. He was ready to
take up his stretcher and walk straight with the dignity of his state as a
child of God.
Indeed, his sins were
truly forgiven.
If anyone has doubts as to whether Christ can forgive our sins or not, as
the scribes did, “How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can
forgive sins by God?” Jesus says, “Why do you have these thoughts in your
hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘You sins are
forgiven’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk’? But to prove to
you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, – he said to
the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off
home.'” The fact that his sins were forgiven was proven by the fact
that he was healed of his paralysis. Since the Jews believed that physical
ailment was the effect of sins, the healing is likewise a confirmation that his
sins were truly forgiven.
Indeed, the sign of
forgiveness is not just physical healing but when we are free to be God’s
children again. When
we experience freedom in loving, in serving and in living out the dignity as
the children of God, we know that we are redeemed. When we no longer are
ashamed of our past but can give thanks to God for all that we went through,
our sins and our mistakes; and seeing them as grace at work in our moments of
disgrace, then we know we are healed and forgiven. If we think we are
forgiven but lack the courage to speak about our past, or when we think of the
past and we are still grieving and not celebrating, it means that we have not
experienced real forgiveness from the Lord simply because we cannot forgive
ourselves or do not truly claim His forgiveness for us.
In our brokenness and in
our pain, we too must come to Jesus first for spiritual healing. Often people seek only physical
healing when the cause of their physical suffering springs from emotional,
psychological and spiritual pain. Before any effective physical or even
emotional and psychological healing can take place, we need to be healed
spiritually through the forgiveness of our sins. It is the past
unpleasant and wounded memories that make us prisoners of ourselves and
others. We should turn to Jesus for forgiveness before we can begin the
process of healing ourselves physically and emotionally. Until we
acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness, we cannot let go of our shame, of
our mistakes and those who have hurt us.
The Church has given us
the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Healing. In this sacrament, the priest acts like
the four men in today’s gospel who brought the paralyzed man to see the
Lord. The priest as a mediator of God’s mercy and forgiveness has the
task of inspiring faith in the sinner who has lost confidence in himself, in
others and even in God. Just as the Lord healed the paralyzed man on
account of the faith of his four friends, the Lord today heals sinners and
penitents through the assuring words of healing and forgiveness spoken by the
confessor. We should make full use of this Sacrament for our
spiritual healing so that God can work effectively in healing us of our
physical and emotional suffering. If not, our lack of forgiveness,
whether of ourselves or of others, will hinder the grace of God from touching
our hearts and minds.
Not only the priest, but
all of us can act as intermediaries in offering healing and forgiveness to one
another. Like the four
men in the gospel, we must find all ways to bridge the gap between the sinner
and God. Like them, we must be creative in reaching out to sinners,
lapsed Catholics and those who have left the Church because they were wounded
by their own sins and the sins of others. We must never give up on
sinners, just as the four friends of the paralyzed man did not give up on
him. When they saw the crowd gathering round Jesus, they could have given
up because it would have been very difficult to carry the paralyzed man to the
Lord. But because they had compassion for their friend and faith in the
Lord, they were resourceful. “They stripped the roof over the place where
Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on
which the paralytic lay.” How much initiative and zeal do we have in
seeking to reach out to sinners and lapsed Catholics? Do we give up
easily when they do not respond to our invitation? Let us restore
creation back to its original plan. This is what Hebrews meant when he
wrote that God’s work was completed on the Sabbath, the day of rest. We
too must do everything so that we all “can to reach this place of rest.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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