Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus’s curing of the paralytic can teach us a lot about faith. We read in Matthew 9:1-8 that our Lord heals the man physically and spiritually. Two different reactions play out in this scene; the crowd expresses wonderment while the scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy.
The Gospel of Mark provides a parallel account in 2:2-5, an older version that Matthew edited when writing his own gospel. Mark’s action-packed narrative tells of the paralytic’s friends boldly lowering him through the roof of a home in order to bypass the impenetrable crowd. Matthew adds a key detail: “…and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven’.”
In Matthew’s report, the determination of the paralytic’s friends impresses Jesus (although, we need to read Mark’s rendition in order to understand why). What follows is not only the healing of the paralyzed man, but a confrontation with the scribes whose reaction to the miracle was anything but joyful.
Reflecting on this passage naturally stirs up questions about faith and charity. In what ways could we be like the paralytic’s friends to another person in need? How can I show that same boldness? I could invite someone who needs healing to mass or to a Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Or, perhaps I can share with them a time when God restored my soul. The Lord cleans and binds up every sort of wound in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Let us pray: Dear God, embolden us. Help us as your children and citizens of your kingdom to courageously reassure our loved ones in need that we live in an era of mercy, recovery, and renewal.
-Rachael Griggs