Cycle B 7th Ordinary
1. I imagine the Paralytic in the Gospel had some pretty high hopes of being cured. After all, Jesus had earlier healed the Leper. That healing and others and the power of His teachings, served to increase his hope and expectations of being Healed.
So when Jesus stepped up to him and said, “Child, your sins are forgiven’, I’ll bet he became and his face probably showed that he was the most disappointed man in all of Israel.
2. The readings of this Sunday are playing on the Hopes we have for wholeness in this life we’re just not getting. As we know life can be very hard. And what really blocks our path to ‘Wholeness’ is ‘Paralysis’.
The readings then, are about telling us and showing us how we can take our ‘FAITH’ in God, to ‘New Heights’. With answers to our problems coming from God in ways that will surprise us.
3. There are a number of points in our Gospel that are important to understanding how ‘Paralysis’ can be overcome with FAITH.
A. In general terms, with Sin in the world physical ‘Paralysis’ is a by product. It is not sin itself. But Jesus uses the healing of it To help prove he is God.
B. All sin can lead to different levels of ‘Spiritual Paralysis’. We need to have our Sins forgiven to heal us of ‘Spiritual Paralysis’. This is the main Point of the Gospel. Jesus wants to heal our Spiritual Paralysis.
So how does FAITH lead to a healing of ‘Paralysis’ physical or spiritual. Let’s look at the paralytic. What was the status of his Faith? Did he request to be there? The Gospel doesn’t say. But in either case, His desire to be healed is a starter for FAITH. Even if it is only for a Physical healing. And when you put that Desire to be healed with Jesus who wants to heal, you have a POINT where mercy and sin meet.
4. Jesus took their Faith to new heights when he told them literally that he is God and has the power to forgive sins. As it said in the gospel the Jewish people did not believe he was God and therefore he could not for vie sins. So here we are how is this Gospel going to take the Paralytic faith to new heights. That in Jewish teaching God could heal only God can forgive Sin. So Jesus needed to start breaking the news to them that He is God.
-‘Which is easier to believe from his word…” your sins are forgiven or your paralysis is cured”
B. that more importantly the priority of FAITH is for Spiritual Healing. And we can say ‘We know that’. But with Faith, actions and attitude mean everything.
Number 2 comes to us from the men who carried the mat. It was noted that it was their Faith that moved Jesus to Action. That FAITH is often thought of as being personal and concerns no one else is wrong. While in the end my reward rests on ‘My Faith’. The Gospel today brings out the need for a COMMUNAL Faith to get things done for the Kingdom of God.
4. In the reading God was speaking to the Israelites through Isaiah. He was telling them that their it is not enough for Faith to remember How he called them out of Egypt in the Exodus through the Red sea. He wants them to rebuild their Faith in Him as a person or people,
-that he not only forgives them their sins. But also does not remember them.
-as he now brings them out of the Babylon Exodus through Metaphorical “Rivers in the desert’.
Our washing or new Exodus comes in the from of our rebirth In the Sacrament of Baptism.
5. We have all kinds of problems in life. But the biggest problem we have has to do with SIN. In General terms we must recognize it, we must turn from it, and we must seek forgiveness for it. Sin ‘Paralyses’ our ability to meet God’s expectations. To keep our end of the covenant.
Sin ‘Paralizes’ us as individuals. What is the status of the Faith of our ‘In-Active’ brothers and sisters. This church should be ‘FILLED’ for 6 masses each Sunday. Look around you. Look at the empty seats. Are they to ‘Paralized’ to come back on their own? Sin can ‘Paralize’ us as community. Where is our Communal Faith. Are we too weak to pick up a corner of the mat to bring them back to Jesus.
-To carry them through the hole in the roof, a metaphorical sea or river or baptism.
-Back to Jesus’ healing words and touch in the Sacraments of Reconciliation or Eucharist.
7th Sunday
(Bishop’s Nickless Motto: Speak the Truth in Love.
1. How did the Paralytic Feel…”Child your sins are forgiven”
-Was he hoping to be physically healed?
-Happiest or most depressed man in all Israel.
2. What would our Faith response be on 1 of our Trials if ‘Forgiveness’ was offered. Could we say ‘Thanks’ and mean it.
-Jesus did not come to take us out of suffering
-Jesus uses Miracles to explain ‘God’ to us.
-Do we realize Spiritual Paralysis is worse then Physical.
3. Our readings reveal the FOCUS of God and what it is He offering. “Love in word and action: USUALLY contrary to the FOCUS of man.”
-He reveals his UNABASHED desire have a relationship with man.
-To forgive us our sins.
-To take our Faith to a new level.
The Isaiah reading is about NEW HOPE. In Isaiah we are to put out of mind how the Israelites were treated after the Exodus or Exiles. It’s not going to be like that anymore.
-God is going to do something NEW and SURPRISING.
-surprising…”Like a river in a desert” would be.
-By forgiving sins, he will make us whole.
-and we will be NEW at our RESSURECTION.
-Miracles GOD/Jesus did for us here on earth were not permanent.
4. The Gospel is about FAITH. (It contrasts OT faith with a New Faith as Jesus reveals it to us.) A New and surprising Faith.
1st Surprise: The Word of God / Jesus is a magnet to Faith.
2nd Surprise: Only God can forgive sin. / Jesus is God. / Jesus can forgive sins.
3rd Surprise: Paralysis is not Sin. / But because of Sin there can be physical paralysis. / Sin does Paralysis.
Forgiveness of sin (Spiritual Paralysis) is more important than physical healing. (Every person Jesus healed…died)
4th Surprise: There is PERSONAL faith and COMMUNAL faith.
-What was the Faith of the Paralytic? Gospel Dosen’t Say. But it needed the help of the community.
-The 4 Mat carriers INSPIRED Jesus to heal.
-Hearing the word puts our Faith into Action.
5. What are we to make of all of this?: I say each of you personally and all of us as Blessed Sacrament
-We need to UNDERSTAND our Faith.
-and to WORK on our Responses to Faith.
-then we need to ‘Speak the Truth in Love” (Words or Actions)
a. Life presents us many different types of Spiritual Paralyses.
-The root cause I think is, people do not hear the Word of God.
– This results in a poorly formed FAITH.
– And a lack of knowledge about God has consequences.
– But to every paralysis there is a healing Spiritual response.
b. Very important is the Faith of this community. In Faith….
-Parents work together to keep kids safe (Drugs-Alcohol-Sex)
-Neighbors work together to care for sick, elderly or handicapped
-Families work together to have a home to nurture each other.
-Parishioners work together to spread the Gospel.
c. Lent is fast approaching. With a sense of urgency and knowing God responds to Faith, it is a time for us to Examine our Faith formation and responses. One stands out in particular.
-All Active Catholics need to work together to reach out to our inactive members.
–Look around you…in this parish every seat could be filled at every mass. (3500 people, 5 masses, 600 seats)
-Maybe WE…not you or I, Maybe WE need to pick up a mat or two.
(Ok everybody lean in…come a little closer)
d. The big lesson of the Gospel is: Community needs to build FAITH. To that I say thank God for the Church of Sioux city, but more Directly, thank you for letting us being apart of Blessesd Sacrament Parish. Here the Faith in Jesus is ALIVE.
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