20260702 GOD GIVES MAN THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS
02 July 2026, Thursday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Amos 7:10-17 |
The Lord took me from herding the flock and sent me to prophesy
Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel as follows. ‘Amos is plotting against you in the heart of the House of Israel; the country can no longer tolerate what he keeps saying. For this is what he says, “Jeroboam is going to die by the sword, and Israel go into exile far from its country.”’ To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;’ get back to the land of Judah; earn your bread there, do your prophesying there. We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’ ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’ Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd, and looked after sycamores: but it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” So listen to the word of the Lord.
‘You say:
‘“Do not prophesy against Israel,
utter no oracles against the House of Isaac.”
‘Very well, this is what the Lord says,
‘“Your wife will be forced to go on the streets,
your sons and daughters will fall by the sword,
your land be parcelled out by measuring line,
and you yourself die on unclean soil
and Israel will go into exile far distant from its own land.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 18(19):8-11 |
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.
The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold
and sweeter are they than honey,
than honey from the comb.
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 9:1-8 |
'Your sins are forgiven; get up and walk'
Jesus got in the boat, crossed the water and came to his own town. Then some people appeared, bringing him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ And at this some scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ Knowing what was in their minds Jesus said, ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’ And the man got up and went home. A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such power to men.
GOD GIVES MAN THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Amos 7:10-17; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 9:1-8]
One of the most beautiful sacraments Christ has left to the Church is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is more than just a sacrament for the forgiveness of sins; it is a sacrament of healing. Indeed, there can be no effective healing of the body or the mind unless the soul is first healed. The Bible has always taught the close connection between bodily sickness and spiritual healing. Bodily illness was always associated with sin because the consequence of sin is a fallen nature — a loss of integrity and immunity to pain, disease, and death. When the soul is sick, the body often becomes sick as well, since the body is the window of the spirit. In fact, those who seek bodily healing often do not receive it because they have not let go of their sins, their irregular relationships, their inability to forgive those who have hurt them, or their attachment to a sinful lifestyle. These unresolved issues cause the mind and heart to be unsettled, anxious, worried, and guilty. And even if they are healed, a lack of spiritual immunity means they may quickly fall sick again.
It is for this reason that the Lord, upon seeing the paralytic, forgave his sins before healing him bodily. He knew the man was carrying the wounds of his past, a lack of forgiveness in his heart, resentment against God, and a loss of faith in life. His real paralysis was his sin. So, Jesus took the first step of freeing him from his guilt and his past. Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.” Such beautiful words coming from the lips of our Lord! He called the paralytic “my child.” It was as if God was telling the man, “You are my child; you belong to me. Even if you have left me and are in sin, you are still my child. I am your Father, and I love you and care for you.” After calling him “my child,” the Lord said, “Your sins are forgiven.” We can be sure that upon hearing these words, a current went through the man’s nerves and body, releasing him from his guilt, resentment, and anger. His soul and heart were set free, having been assured of God’s forgiveness. He felt lighter and liberated, as he was now at peace with himself, with God, and with the world. Only then did the Lord say to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go off home.” Once his soul was healed, he could then be restored bodily as well.
How can we be so sure that his sins were indeed forgiven? This was the question posed by the scribes. They thought to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” This was because, according to their theological training, only God could forgive sins. Secondly, they believed sins could only be taken away when an atonement sacrifice was offered at the Temple. It was, therefore, presumptuous of Jesus — who appeared to be just a man –to forgive sins without asking the person to go through the proper procedures. Jesus proved them wrong by healing the man. He said, “Now, which of these is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to the paralytic, “get up, pick up your bed and go off home.” The fact that the man was able to walk proved that his sins were forgiven; otherwise, he would not have been able to walk, based on the scriptural teaching that illness is the consequence of sin.
Indeed, “the man got up and went home. A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such power to men.” What is this power that God gave to men? It is the power to forgive sins! Why does God give His power to forgive sins to human beings? This is because, as human clinic entities, we need a mediator to hear the words of forgiveness and to receive healing in a personal way, both body and soul. As human beings, we need to encounter the love of God in an incarnate manner. This is the very reason for the Incarnation. Jesus became man so that He could reveal to us in person, in His body and spirit, the love and mercy of the Father. Jesus, as the Son of God, could forgive sins. But He chose to forgive sins through His humanity so that all could receive that forgiveness in person.
This same power to forgive sins, to reconcile, and to heal has been given to the Church — specifically to the apostles who hold authority over the Church. After St. Peter confessed his faith in Christ as the Son of the living God, our Lord Jesus appointed him as the leader and His vicar, saying, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18-19). This power to forgive sins was also given to all the apostles at Pentecost, when the Lord breathed His Spirit on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn 20:22-23).
Hence, we see the development of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the early Church. In his letter exhorting the Christians, St. James said, “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” (Jms 5:14-16). This is why Catholics go to a priest for confession, reconciliation, and healing, as he is deputised by the Bishop, who is the head of the local church. Of course, only God can forgive sins. However, the priest acts on His behalf, mediating divine forgiveness to the penitent.
By extension, this power to forgive sins is also given to all His disciples. The Lord commissioned them to go out into the world, saying, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Lk 24:47-48). This forgiveness can also be exercised in a personal way by all of us when we forgive those who have hurt us or when we lead sinners back to God. St. James wrote, “My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (Jms 5:19-20). Like the Prophet Amos, we are sometimes called to invite people to repentance even when it is unwelcome. Amos called the king of Israel, their leaders, and the people to repentance. However, Amaziah, the chief priest of the sanctuary of Bethel, told him to go back to Judah, where he belonged. Amos was not welcome because he spoke against the establishment of his day, bringing news they did not want to hear because it was too discouraging, even if it was true. Yet, Amos had to speak the Word of God, whether it was welcome or unwelcome. We, too, must preach repentance in and out of season, just like St. Paul instructed: “Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.” (2 Tim 4:2).
We are called to be like the friends of the paralytic man — those who carry people paralysed by sin and the sufferings of life. We are not entirely sure whether the man was forced to come to Jesus or if he came willingly, albeit sceptically. The Gospel never mentions the faith of the man himself, but rather the faith of his friends. It was upon seeing their faith, not the faith of the paralytic, that Jesus agreed to heal the man by first forgiving his sins. We are called to be channels of faith. But to be effective channels of faith in bringing people to Jesus, we must be people of faith ourselves. Only genuine faith can inspire others to believe. Our task is simply to bring people to Jesus. We cannot force people to accept Him or our doctrines; we only need to bring them to Him. Once we have brought them to Jesus, the Lord will know exactly what to do with them and how to win them over. When someone is brought before the Lord, His presence opens their heart and mind. This is why it is so important to look for opportunities to introduce people to Jesus and bring them to meet Him at the Eucharist, prayer meetings, or faith-sharing groups. We do not have to force their conversion; we just need to let them get to know Him. Like the priest who forgives our sins in confession, we are only instruments of God, who knows their hearts and forgives them through us. It is the Holy Spirit who will touch their hearts, not us. We are merely conduits.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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