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Sunshine let it be, or frost,
Storm or calm, as Thou shalt choose;
Though Thine every gift were lost,
Thee Thyself we could not lose.
- Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861-1907), Poems
(Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rm. 8: 39)
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1 SM 8:4-7, 10-22A; Psalm 89:16-17, 18-19
MK 2:1-12
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”
–he said to the paralytic,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, 'My son, your sins are forgiven.' " —Mark 2:5
The purpose of living is to develop a deep relationship with Jesus so that we will totally give our lives to Him.
To love Jesus, we must know Him. For example, it is good to know what is foremost on Jesus' mind. When He saw a paralyzed man being lowered on a stretcher through a hole in the roof, Jesus said: "My son, your sins are forgiven" (Mk 2:5). Jesus is preoccupied with the forgiveness of our sins. He even died on the cross to take away our sins (see 1 Pt 2:24).
Moreover, when Jesus saw the four men lowering the paralytic on a stretcher, Jesus saw their faith (Mk 2:5). He is on the lookout for faith, because, by faith, we can accept the grace to be forgiven from our sins and by the forgiveness of sin we can grow in faith.
Jesus' name means "Yahweh saves." Thus, we should expect that He would be preoccupied with the main aspects of our salvation, such as grace, faith, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. To relate to Jesus rightly, we must "have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16) and have His priorities. As we try to think and be more like Jesus, we will love Him more deeply and even come to worship Him as we love Him with all our
hearts and all our minds (see Lk 10:27). Get to know Jesus. Accept Him on His terms. Love Him and give yourself totally to Him.
Prayer: Father, change my mind so I will love You in greater ways.
Promise: "You are the Splendor of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted. For to the Lord belongs our shield." —Ps 89:18-19
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence
- by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
BOOK II,
CHAPTER II. THE DUTIES OF THOSE SOULS CALLED BY GOD TO THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT
SECTION I. Sacrifice, the Foundation of Sanctity. The first great duty of souls called by God to this state is the absolute and entire surrender of themselves to Him.
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We know that all passes away like clouds blown along by the wind, and nothing is consecutive nor ordered, but everything is in a state of perpetual change. In the state of faith, as in that of glory, God and His will is the eternal object that captivates the heart, and will one day form its true happiness, and this glorious state of the soul will influence the material part which at present is the prey of
monsters and savage beasts. Beneath these appearances, terrible though they be, the divine action will so work on this material part as to make it partake of a heavenly power which will render it brilliant as the sun; for the faculties of the sensitive soul, and those of the body are prepared here below like gold or iron, or like canvas for a picture, or stones for a building. Like the matter of which these different materials are composed they will not attain their brilliance and purity of form
until they have passed through many alterations, have endured many deprivations, and survived many destructions. Whatever they suffer here below under the hand of God serves to that end.
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