Matthew 9: 1-8
And after getting into a boat Jesus crossed the sea and came to his own town.
And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Lift Sin into God’s Grace
The weight of sin is amazingly powerful. Though its actual mass is zero, less than that of a mustard seed, a single sinful act, let alone a sense of one’s sinfulness, can be an overwhelming immense burden. It can hold us back from life and love, smother our ability to thrive as human persons, and turn us downward and inward with shame and unworthiness. It can paralyze us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
More than the effects of one’s own personal sins can be the judgements of others. This sin of the world, of human nature, is interwoven throughout human history. It permeates our society and culture, and is written into our laws. I repeatedly, endlessly struggle with ways in which I have felt judged and unworthy as well as how I judge and deny the equal dignity of others.
The danger is in not admitting this reality – ignoring and disregarding how these are embedded within our attitudes, assumptions, our way of identifying ourselves and one another. Pretending that these are not my issues, that I did not cause them and I am not responsible, leaves them in the dark, and fosters and nurtures the evil that thrives in sinfulness. Jesus, in this narrative, lifts out sin into God’s grace and light with healing forgiveness. Jesus likewise lifts up the man into God’s same grace and light in which he can thrive and experience joy and love. Our challenge is to go and do likewise.
Some homework: Chapters 1 and 2, only 1/3 of Pope Leo’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, offers an understandable presentation of Catholic Social teachings on human dignity, the common good, and social justice.
—Fr. Glen Chun, SJ, a priest of the Midwest Province, is community minister of Bellarmine House of Studies in St. Louis.
Prayer
Let us build a house where love can dwell
And all can safely live
A place where saints and children tell
How hearts learn to forgive
Built of hopes and dreams and visions
Rock of faith and vault of grace
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak,
and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek
to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness
and as symbol of God’s grace;
here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where all are named,
their songs and visions heard
and loved and treasured, taught and claimed
as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter,
prayers of faith and songs of grace,
let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome,
all are welcome in this place.
—Verses of “All Are Welcome” by Marty Haugen ©1994, GIA Publications