20210115 FINDING REST IN GOD’S FORGIVENESS
15 January, 2021, Friday, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Hebrews 4:1-5,11 © |
None of you has come too late for God's promise
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 77(78):3-4,6-8 © |
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:
the glories of the Lord and his might
and the marvellous deeds he has done.
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.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
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!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 2:1-12 © |
The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins
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 REST IN GOD’S FORGIVENESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 4:1-5,11; PS 78:3-4,6-8; MARK 2:1-12 ]
If we are not at peace with ourselves and are feeling restless like St Augustine, we must seek rest in God. St Augustine wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” This is what the author of Hebrews assures us. “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.” What is this place of rest promised by God and is still valid for us? The place of rest refers firstly to the Promised Land that was given to the Israelites. Secondly, the place of rest is to live in God’s Kingdom and be in intimacy with Him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:27) Our hearts are not at peace and our life is complex and full of anxiety and worries. It is faith in Him that will give us peace.
So what is preventing us from entering into this rest? Like the paralyzed man in today’s gospel, we are paralyzed by our sins. In the understanding of the Jews, there is a close association between sin and sickness. They believed that sickness is a punishment for the sins we have committed. Although Jesus did not subscribe to this theological viewpoint strictly, yet in many cases, there is a relationship between the soundness of the heart and mind and that of the body. As human beings, we are constituted of body, soul and spirit. These three aspects of the human person must work integrally. Sickness of the heart will lead to sickness in the mind. Sickness of the mind will cause the heart to be affected. Both the heart and mind will also affect the body, just as the failure to take care of our body will affect the performance and disposition of our mind and heart.
This explains why before healing the person, Jesus forgave the sins of the man. Without experiencing the healing grace of forgiveness, he would not be able to be healed physically. His weak spirit and wounded heart will prevent the body from getting well. This is why for those who are healed physically but not spiritually or emotionally, the healing is not effective and does not last for long as well. What is needed even more is the healing of the soul and heart. The man must have been weighed down by his past sins, consciously or unconsciously. Hearing the words of forgiveness gave him the grace to let go of his past and walk again.
We too must reflect for ourselves on the burdens that we are carrying on our shoulders. Maybe it is the burden of self-reliance instead of a spirit of poverty. Even for us priests and church leaders, we are burdened with so many demands and responsibilities that often we feel overwhelmed because we cannot meet the demands placed on us. But the truth is that to partake of God’s rest one has to allow Him to work through us. As St Paul says, “to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.” (Eph 3:20) With a spirit of poverty, trust and dependence on Him, we should be contented with what we can do.
Secondly, it could be the burden of our sins that come from disobedience and a rebellious heart. We want things our way. We purposely go against what is right and good. As a result, we are reaping the consequences of our sins, our lust, our greed, our anger, our gluttony, our sloth and our envy. We have no peace in our hearts because we have caused more harm to ourselves and those whom we love by our selfish and irresponsible actions. The author says, “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.”
Thirdly, it is the burden that comes from a lack of trust and faith in God. The author of Hebrews wrote, “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.” As the responsorial psalm implied, “never forget the deeds of the Lord.” We have been ungrateful and forgot the wonders our God has done for us, just as He did for the Israelites at the Exodus and when they were wandering in the desert. We must tell “the glories of the Lord and his might and the marvellous deeds he has done” so “that they too should set their hope in God and never forget God’s deeds but keep every one of his commands. 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.”
Fourthly, some of us might desire to find peace and return to the Lord but we have no courage like the Israelites who did not dare to enter the Promised Land. But it might not just be fear alone, it could be because our hearts are hardened. This is what Psalm 95:8 says, “O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts.” Indeed, our hearts have become coarsened, deceived by sin, hurt and wounded, angry with God and numb to love and life. We want to be set free but lack the will and strength to come to the Lord.
This is why we need the support of the Christian community. The four men who carried the paralytic to the Lord, but finding 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.'” We too must help each other to come to the Lord. We need friends with faith in the Lord to nudge us, to encourage us and even to bring us to Him so that He can heal us. On our own, we are helpless. This is why the author said earlier, “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.” (cf Heb 3:13-15)
Secondly, we have been empowered also to heal and forgive as well. It is true that there is the juridical forgiveness imparted by the Church for the sins of her members but each individual can also in his or her own way extend this forgiveness and healing grace to members of the Church. This authority has been given to the apostles. (cf Jn 20:23) However, in some ways, as individuals all of us also have the power to forgive. As the Lord said, “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 Son of Man would refer firstly to the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13 who was given the authority of God to rule the world. But the Son of Man could also refer to just a man in the Book of Ezekiel. When Peter asked, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” (Mt 18:21f) St James also wrote, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (Jms 5:16) We too must render forgiveness so that we can be set free ourselves from our wounds and hurts. By rendering forgiveness to others, we set ourselves free. The Lord’s words are clear, “my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Mt 18:35)
Finally, we must be proactive, like the man after being forgiven, by forgiving ourselves and reaching out to others. We must thank God for our sins and praise Him for His mercy as we walk straight and tall before others. “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.'” In announcing the Good News, we find rest in our hearts, knowing that God has reconciled us to Him. We are no longer ashamed of our past. We no longer are crippled by our sins and our past. Our past, like the stretcher of the man, is no longer our escapism but our glory. Rather, they become the means by which we learn to walk straight and in a dignified way. In letting go, we find true freedom and rest in Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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