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Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Today's gospel shows us how the sin of sloth can paralyze us spiritually, and make it impossible for us to approach Jesus without being carried by those who love us. Jesus is proclaiming this message when he is suddenly interrupted by the paralytic and his companions. The paralyzed man was probably more interested in being cured physically than spiritually, but the physical cure opened the man's heart to the message Jesus was preaching: that his heart could become the dining room in which the Messiah could serve the meal that could end his spiritual disability. Jesus was touched by the commitment of the four men who carried the paralytic, and "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" It may seem strange that Jesus pardoned his sins when he was more interested in being healed physically, but we should keep in mind that the Jews of that time viewed illness as an indication that God was angry with them because of their wrongdoing. They considered sickness a punishment for sin, just as many do today. The balance between God's mercy and justice often provokes this response, "I haven't done anything bad enough for God to burden me with this illness." Therefore, Jesus approaches the problem from a different perspective. He heals them spiritually and physically. Nevertheless, the Jews of that time considered God alone to be capable of pardoning sins, and for Jesus to do so amounted to blasphemy, a crime punishable by stoning. [Leviticus 24: 16] Jesus' sales pitch to the paralyzed man and to us is therefore that the real blasphemy is to allow ourselves to be blind to the bliss in the Blood of Christ. We should not allow the sin of sloth to paralyze our multidimensional spirituality, but rather take advantage of the payoff of our penitence and sanctify ourselves, past and present, emotionally and spiritually, so that we may lead lives that lock us into the prosperity that comes to us through God's law of providence. - Father Oscar Martin Picos Septimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario El Evangelio de hoy nos demuestra la indigencia total de un ser humano que ni siquiera puede acercarse por sí misma a Jesús. Jesús está proclamando su mensaje cuando es interrumpido de manera abrupta por el paralítico y sus acompañantes. Aquel enfermo probablemente no estaba buscando el mensaje sino la curación y fue a través de aquella como se encontró con Dios. Dice la Palabra que cuando Jesús vio "la fe que tenían" tanto el enfermo como sus ayudantes, se dirige al enfermo y le dice: "tus pecados quedan perdonados". Esta afirmación hoy nos puede parecer un poco extraña. Va buscando la salud y Jesús lo que hace es perdonarle los pecados. Situemos el tema en su contexto. Los judíos relacionaban necesariamente el pecado con el sufrimiento. Para ellos estar enfermo o impedido era consecuencia del pecado. Si alguien sufría era porque había pecado. Para los judíos, un enfermo era alguien con quien Dios estaba enfadado. Esta idea la tienen incluso hoy muchas personas que creen que la enfermedad es fruto de algo malo que han hecho, dicen cosas como " ... yo no he hecho nada malo para que Dios me envíe esta enfermedad ... " Jesús rompe de nuevo un esquema, perdona el pecado para que la curación se realice en plenitud; pero el perdonar los pecados era un cualidad exclusiva de Dios. Sólo Dios era quien podía perdonar los pecados, de ahí que los maestros de la ley lo acusaran de blasfemo. La blasfemia era castigada con la lapidación: Lv 24,16. Nunca debemos de olvidarnos que la salvación que Jesús nos trae es una salvación que abarca todas las dimensiones de la persona: pasado, presente, sentimientos, vida social ... - Padre Oscar Martin Picos | |||
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