Thursday 2nd July Feria
Gospel – 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 paralysed 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord
The Mass intention is for P & M, K.
Reflection:
We see in Matthews Gospel today, this extraordinary authority of Jesus. To the reader, Jesus appears as a person invested with extraordinary authority by means of words and actions. The authoritative word of Jesus strikes evil at its root: in the case of the paralytic man, on sin that affects the man in his liberty and obstructs his living: “Your sins are forgiven” “Rise, pick up your bed and go home”
This passage focuses on something that is central to Jesus’ way of relating with us. He sees how all of us are in need of forgiveness, of having our limited and sinful human nature accepted.
So that, rather than be angry, guilty or aggressive with ourselves and others, He suggests instead that we assume a gentle, forgiving or accepting attitude to this limited side of ourselves.
- Do you believe Jesus’ words are ‘Truth and Life’?
- And if so how does the Truth and Life of Jesus manifest its self in your Life?
Fr John
