Today's reflection on today's Mass readings 4 July 2013

Courage, child, your sins are forgiven

Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time            4 July 2013

St. Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336)
 
First Reading: Genesis 22:1-19. 

God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" he replied.

Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.

Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you."

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?"

"Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD'S messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!"

"Yes, Lord," he answered.

"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."

As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."

Again the LORD'S messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--all this because you obeyed my command.'

Abraham then returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer-sheba, where Abraham made his home.

 

 

Ps 115(113B):1-2.3-4.5-6.8-9. 

Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name give glory

because of your mercy, because of your truth.

Why should the pagans say,

"Where is their God?"

 

Our God is in heaven;

whatever he wills, he does.

Their idols are silver and gold,

The handiwork of men.

 

They have mouths but speak not;

They have eyes but see not;

They have ears but hear not;

they have noses but smell not.

 

Their makers shall be like them,

Everyone that trusts in them.

The house of Israel trusts in the LORD,

Who is their help and shield.

 

Matt 9:1-8. 

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.

And there people brought to Him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."

At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."

Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts?

Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."

He rose and went home.

When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

 

Commentary of the day :

 

This miracle was done by Jesus as demonstrable proof that He had authority on earth to forgive sins. When the crowd saw it they didn’t get struck with awe that this gift was given to Jesus, but that it was given to men. It is still a mystery of God’s compassion that He continues to give this authority to men (priests) to forgive sins. You would have to be a fool to neglect to utilise this free gift.

 

 Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church

 Homilies on Saint Matthew's Gospel, no.29, 2 ; PG 57, 359

 

"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."

 

The scribes declared that God alone can forgive sins. But Jesus, even before He forgave sins, revealed the secrets of the heart thereby showing that he also possessed that other power reserved to God... For it is written: “You alone, O Lord, know the secrets of humankind” and “Man sees the outward appearance but God sees the heart” (2Chr 6,30; 1Sam 16,7). In this way Jesus reveals his divinity and equality with the Father, uncovering the depths of their hearts to the scribes and making known those thoughts they are afraid to speak openly for fear of the crowd. And this he did with great gentleness... The lame man might have made his disappointment known to Christ by saying: “OK! You have come to cure another kind of sickness and heal another kind of evil – sin. But what proof am I going to get that my sins are forgiven?” Yet he said nothing of the sort but put his trust in the one who had the power to heal him...To the scribes Christ said: “Which is easier? To say: Your sins are forgiven, or rather: Take up your stretcher and go home?” In other words: What seems easier to you? To strengthen a paralyzed body or put aside the sins of the soul? Obviously, to heal a body since forgiveness of sins goes as much beyond the healing as the soul is above the body. But since one of these works is visible and the other not, I am equally going to carry out the work that is visible and lesser in order to prove that which is greater and unseen. At that very moment Jesus witnessed by his works that he is “He who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1,29).