Jesus entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic 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 human beings.
The Word in other words
"Is it a sin not to go the holy mass on Sunday, Father? Is it a sin to engage in sex before marriage?" For those who have undergone catechism and religious education in school the answer is clear: Yes, it is! Whether they're guilty of doing it themselves or not is immaterial. They have been taught, that's it.
However, the idea of sin has become very ambivalent nowadays especially among the younger generation. The number of teen pregnancies is high in many Catholic countries including the Philippines and the consciousness about observing Sunday as the Lord's Day is rapidly decreasing especially in the affluent world, affecting both young and old alike. The word "sin" has become alienated and now seems to be strictly confined to monastic and religious communities. But for the "normal" people, "sin" has gone out of mode.
Jesus told a paralytic, a sick person: "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." For the bystanding scribes this was a scandal, a mortal offense, since only God could forgive sins. To prove his authority, however, Jesus healed a paralytic before their eyes.
For Jesus, sin is a reality. More often than not, sickness is a mere manifestation of the reality of sin. If we are humble enough to acknowledge our sinfulness, we can also hope for the healing of our illness. And when we believe that Jesus is God, we then leave a space where he can wipe out our sins and completely heal us.
- Fr. Robert C. Alda, Jr. SVD (Wendel, Germany)
