The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friends in Christ,

In today's Gospel reading (Saint Matthew 9:1-8), A man with palsy is brought by his friends to Jesus. There are parallel accounts in Saint Mark 2:1-12 and Saint Luke 5:17-26.

My attention is drawn to these words of Saint Matthew: "And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: 'Be of good heart, son. Thy sins are forgiven thee.'" The transformative power of our prayers for one another is often underestimated. The man with palsy received forgiveness for his sins because of the unwavering faith of his friends who brought him to Jesus. While we readily seek the intercession of the Angels and Saints in Heaven, we need to remember that the aid of our fellow members of the Church Militant (faithful here on earth) is crucial for us. We should seek and offer prayers for each other, knowing that our faith can bring about miraculous changes.

The prayers of parents for their children often appear fruitless in our days. We may question or wonder if our prayers are just a waste of time because we cannot see any change in those for whom we pray and sacrifice. When Jesus assured the sick man that his sins were forgiven, no one could see anything of what had just transpired before their very eyes. Even the ill man himself remained silent. We know that what Jesus said is true, and He even gave visible proof of it. Because of the visible cure of the man's body, Jesus confirms the value of the faith of the man's friends and the value of Jesus' statement: "Thy sins are forgiven thee."

In the Sacrament of Penance, we hear these same consoling words of Jesus, speaking to us through the mouth of His instrument, the priest, "I forgive you," and "Your sins are forgiven you." Like the people who heard these words of Jesus to the sick man, we often wonder, is it true? Can it be? We see no physical change, so we doubt the spiritual change. This is where our faith must rise within us and assure us that what Jesus has said is true. He has proven it. We now need no further proof than that Jesus has said it.

Rising with the grace from the Sacrament, we should look within our souls to see that we are truly forgiven, appreciate the value of this grace, rise from our bed of sin, and return to our spiritual home in the Church and in the Life of Christ, to sin no more. This grace and forgiveness are not just words, but a comforting reality that we can always rely on in our spiritual journey.

Though an immediate physical change is not visible, one does sometimes occur if we are observant enough to notice it. When through faith we believe these words of Jesus spoken to us by His priest in the Sacrament of Penance, a weight is lifted from our souls; our consciences are put in proper order; there is peace and a sense of relief that comes over us; and this, in turn, is often seen in the physical continence of our faces.

When the soul is healthy, the body often follows the soul and returns to health as well. We cannot say this always happens because it is quite frequently necessary for us to retain some bodily ailments as the proper penance, medicinal cure, or preventative for our spiritual illness. These we must bear in patience, love, and trust because they come to us from the hand of Our Loving Father in Heaven, the Divine Physician. In times of uncertainty, our response should be one of patience, love, and trust in God's plan, which ultimately leads to peace and reassurance.

The grace of hearing these words of Jesus applied to our souls is a grace we do not deserve, nor have we earned it. This grace, like in today's Gospel reading, is applied to us because of the faith and prayers of our friends. "Seeing their faith …" We should be grateful to God, but we should also show our gratitude to our patron saints in Heaven, our Guardian Angels, and our loved ones here on earth who likewise are concerned for our souls and pray for us. We may not know who has prayed or when they have prayed for us, but we can still be grateful to them, whoever they are, and wherever they are. In our gratitude, we should pray for our friends and family (and even our enemies). Perhaps they have not received this grace because we have not yet expressed the faith to bring them before Jesus. Is their healing delayed because we are delaying our faith and prayers on their behalf? Let us also remember that just because we cannot see any physical change does not mean no spiritual change has occurred.

We must have faith that God's words are true and continue without ceasing to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Church Militant and the Church Suffering, even when we can observe no physical or material changes taking place.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!

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