Word to the Wise
Monday, December 5, 2022 - 2nd Week of Advent - Mon
[Isa 35:1-10 and Luke 5:17-26]Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, soy to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. [Isaiah] "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" - he said to the one who was paralyzed, "I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. [Luke]
The wonderful gospel scene today from the Gospel According to Luke requires that we read BOTH scriptures and especially to read the first scripture first, from Isaiah. Why? Because the audience in the house where Jesus' heals the paralytic (who had been lowered through the roof by his friends when they couldn't get into the house) included "Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem..." Those folks would have been very aware of the scripture from Isaiah that foretold the "day of the Lord" and the coming of the Messiah. Jesus' healing of the paralytic on both the physical and spiritual levels - in other words, a complete restoration of health and relationships - would be a dramatic example of the words of Isaiah: "then will the lame leap like a stag!"
The scribes and Pharisees focus on Jesus' words, "As for you, your sins are forgiven." It would be a mistake to join them in assuming that this means only moral mistakes. Jesus speaks to the entire life of the paralytic AND to the faith of the friends who brought him there. (Notice the words, "When Jesus saw THEIR faith....")
If, in Advent, we take advantage of the formal way of God's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the word "reconciliation" could describe Jesus' actions. It is not simply a matter of forgiveness of infractions but a challenge to amend our whole life. The baby in the manger was born to bring that reconciliation to us! If we are fortunate enough, we will have friends who care enough for us to help us get there, like the friends who carried the paralytic!! Indeed, the Son of Man "has authority on earth to forgive sins," but he also tells us to "go home" and that's where we are challenged to show God's mercy to us and to our neighbor! AMEN [cf. Matthew 18:21-35]