Friday January 15

First Week In Ordinary Time

 

YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN YOU       

 

Introduction

      The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells the Jewish Christians, dispersed on account of their faith, not to seek to return to the city of rest, Jerusalem, and to Palestine, but rather to seek the rest and peace of living in the love of God; they are on the march to the promised land of heaven. They should not seek the “rest” of being installed securely in their home country. Likewise, we should not seek our “rest” and security in the things we have, the place we live, but be constant seekers of the rest of being at peace with God and people.

      Miracles are called “signs” in the Bible. They are, like the cure of the paralytic, visible manifestations that something has happened inside the person. The paralytic can walk. He can stand up and move as a human being, as a person who is forgiven and can get up from the paralysis of sin. Could not we too give “signs” to the people around us by raising them above their miseries, that God is alive in us?

 

Opening Prayer

God, our Father,
we are your people,
at times paralyzed by our fears
and our fascination with sin.
Let your Son speak among us
his mighty words of forgiveness and courage,
to raise us above ourselves,
above our cowardice and compromises,
that we may go resolutely
the way to you and to one another
by the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: Heb 4:1-5, 11

Let us be on our guard
while the promise of entering into his rest remains,
that none of you seem to have failed.
For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.
But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.
For we who believed enter into that rest,
just as he has said:
As I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter into my rest,”
and yet his works were accomplished
at the foundation of the world.
For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner,
And God rested on the seventh day from all his works;
and again, in the previously mentioned place,
They shall not enter into my rest.
Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest,
so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78:3 and 4bc, 6c-7, 8

(see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
What we have heard and know,
and what our fathers have declared to us,
we will declare to the generation to come
The glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
That they too may rise and declare to their sons
that they should put their hope in God,
And not forget the deeds of God
but keep his commands.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And not be like their fathers,
a generation wayward and rebellious,
A generation that kept not its heart steadfast
nor its spirit faithful toward God.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

 

Alleluia: Lk 7:16

Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: Mk 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
“Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”
–he said to the paralytic,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

 

Intercessions:

–         That the Church, aware of its own shortcomings and missed chances, may humbly offer forgiveness and new chances to all who err, and become in the world a sign of forgiveness and reconciliation, we pray:

–         That our homes may be places of mutual understanding and reconciliation; that the young may learn from their parents and each other to forget injuries and hurts, we pray:

–         For all Christian communities, that we may be less concerned about our rights and injured pride and learn Christ’s way of reconciliation and creating one another anew, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God, our Father,
let your Son come here among us
to take us by the hand
and to order us to get back on our feet
with joy and courage.
Renew us, with his body and blood,
that we too, may be to one another
his uplifting word and helpful hands,
that people may praise you,
now and for ever.

 

Prayer after Communion

God, our Father,
your Son was attentive to people,
to their ills and their needs.
May he live in us today
and make us his voice
that brings reconciliation and peace,
his heart that loves without boundaries,
his hands that build up a world
of justice, dignity and service.
We ask you all this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.

 

Blessing

Let us try with all that is in us to put back on their feet those paralyzed by their own fears, limitations and condemnations and to accompany them on their journey to God and to one another, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Paralysis …….Jesus, The Healer 

Yesterday we reflected on the healing touch of Jesus – that heals even the dreaded leprosy. With his hands extended towards the untouchable, he taught us the lesson that no one is an untouchable before God. Today we see him back home in Capernaum, probably after the days of quarantine after touching the leper and continues his teaching and healing ministry.

When he healed the leper, he was not just healing a physical ailment, rather he also addressed the issue of being rejected by the society and he went on to touch the leper. People would have been happier if Jesus had not questioned their age old traditions. Today, While healing the paralised Jesus does something similar. He is not merely addressing the physical paralysis, instead he heals the person from his interior paralysis – a tells him, “your sins are forgiven!” His listeners are annoyed and accuse him of blasphemy this time. They would have been happier if Jesus had just healed the physical paralysis of the person and did not touch on their traditions.

How often do we pray for a miracle? Jesus’ miracles were always intended to give a better understanding of the face God. A paralyzed person is a dependent person. Sin paralyses a person by cutting off his relationship with God, prevents one from loving and serving one’s brothers and sisters. And he remains helpless.

Remember, the paralytic in today’s gospel is totally silent. He is not asking for anything. We are not sure, if he desired for a healing. It was the initiative of his friends that brought him before Jesus. It was the solidarity of the friends, that leads Jesus to act. Along with physical help, there is faith in the hearts of those four anonymous characters. Faith is always linked to charity. If our Faith does not lead us to charity, it is not faith.

There is a huge crowd who have occupied the place and they somehow prevent this paralised person from approaching Jesus. Perhaps they too were seeking healing from Jesus, but they were preoccupied with their own needs and not of those around them. Sometimes, our behaviours and attitudes in the Church or in the community are similar to that of the crowd and prevent others from participating in the life and activities of Church.

We all suffer from some kind of paralysis. In spite of our own need for help, the Gospel invites us to help others to come to the Lord. Together we draw closer to Jesus, the healer.