Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Friday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 4:1-5, 11
Our reading from Hebrews today continues the discussion of Psalm 95 we hear yesterday. The author defends the faith of his audience by saying they are not like their ancestors who rebelled against God (Ps 95; 8-9). The remainder of the passage focuses, through reference to the creation account from Genesis, on avoiding disobedience and entering his rest.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 78:3 and 4bc, 6c-7, 8
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Psalm 78 also looks back at the rebellion against God of those who followed Moses out of Egypt. The psalmist sings of handing down the faith in God and the story of His works from generation to generation.
Gospel Mk 2:1-12
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic, which we are given today, begins Jesus’ conflicts with the scribes and Pharisees in Mark’s Gospel. In this story the link between sin and physical affliction is referred to directly as is healing and faith. Later in the Gospel Mark attaches even more importance to faith as a component of healing.
We are given a remarkable statement; “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” This statement was clearly intended for us as opposed to the scribes, who would have rejected it or the paralytic who already accepted him.
Reflection:
Since the beginning of Ordinary Time on Tuesday of this week we have been following the Letter to the Hebrews, which encourages us not to waiver in our faith or become complacent, and the Gospel of Mark that has been giving us stories of Jesus healing and forgiving sins across Galilee. These have been glued together with psalms that support the need for us to remain faithful.
Today we have come to a climax. Jesus performs a spectacular healing in the presence of the scribes and Pharisees and they challenge him. He makes it plain to all present that he has the authority to forgive sins. And the scribes see the logic but completely miss the truth. They say; “Who but God alone can forgive sins?” They are right of course, only God can forgive sins and Jesus just did. But rather than making the connection (“Oh, he must be the Son of God”), they reject him. So he goes further and asks them if it is easier to forgive sins or to heal the paralytic, and then he says; “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” We can only imagine their faces when he did that. In front of a huge crowd they had challenged the Lord and he had refuted them spectacularly.
While the proofs we are given for the identity of Jesus in this story are powerful and sustain our faith, the Lord’s example is what we are called to focus on. It is his example of forgiveness that we as believers in the Son of Man must take to heart.
Forgiveness is part of the difficult path we walk with the Lord. The one the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of that may cause us to falter. It is because the Lord’s example of forgiveness just starts with today’s example of the healing of the paralytic. The final example comes as he utters; “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” as he hangs upon the cross.
In that context what he does for the paralytic is easy. He knows, as only Christ can know, the paralytic and all of is sins. Those sins are minor compared to that great injustice done to him in the Passion. Yet he shows us that forgiveness is mandatory, even when it flows from injustice.
That is our message today, forgiveness and faith, two “F” words that better be in our vocabulary.
Pax
Readings for Friday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 4:1-5, 11
Our reading from Hebrews today continues the discussion of Psalm 95 we hear yesterday. The author defends the faith of his audience by saying they are not like their ancestors who rebelled against God (Ps 95; 8-9). The remainder of the passage focuses, through reference to the creation account from Genesis, on avoiding disobedience and entering his rest.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 78:3 and 4bc, 6c-7, 8
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
Psalm 78 also looks back at the rebellion against God of those who followed Moses out of Egypt. The psalmist sings of handing down the faith in God and the story of His works from generation to generation.
Gospel Mk 2:1-12
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic, which we are given today, begins Jesus’ conflicts with the scribes and Pharisees in Mark’s Gospel. In this story the link between sin and physical affliction is referred to directly as is healing and faith. Later in the Gospel Mark attaches even more importance to faith as a component of healing.
We are given a remarkable statement; “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” This statement was clearly intended for us as opposed to the scribes, who would have rejected it or the paralytic who already accepted him.
Reflection:
Since the beginning of Ordinary Time on Tuesday of this week we have been following the Letter to the Hebrews, which encourages us not to waiver in our faith or become complacent, and the Gospel of Mark that has been giving us stories of Jesus healing and forgiving sins across Galilee. These have been glued together with psalms that support the need for us to remain faithful.
Today we have come to a climax. Jesus performs a spectacular healing in the presence of the scribes and Pharisees and they challenge him. He makes it plain to all present that he has the authority to forgive sins. And the scribes see the logic but completely miss the truth. They say; “Who but God alone can forgive sins?” They are right of course, only God can forgive sins and Jesus just did. But rather than making the connection (“Oh, he must be the Son of God”), they reject him. So he goes further and asks them if it is easier to forgive sins or to heal the paralytic, and then he says; “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” We can only imagine their faces when he did that. In front of a huge crowd they had challenged the Lord and he had refuted them spectacularly.
While the proofs we are given for the identity of Jesus in this story are powerful and sustain our faith, the Lord’s example is what we are called to focus on. It is his example of forgiveness that we as believers in the Son of Man must take to heart.
Forgiveness is part of the difficult path we walk with the Lord. The one the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of that may cause us to falter. It is because the Lord’s example of forgiveness just starts with today’s example of the healing of the paralytic. The final example comes as he utters; “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” as he hangs upon the cross.
In that context what he does for the paralytic is easy. He knows, as only Christ can know, the paralytic and all of is sins. Those sins are minor compared to that great injustice done to him in the Passion. Yet he shows us that forgiveness is mandatory, even when it flows from injustice.
That is our message today, forgiveness and faith, two “F” words that better be in our vocabulary.
Pax
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