Readings for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.
The people I formed for myself,
that they might announce my praise.
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob,
for you grew weary of me, O Israel.
You burdened me with your sins,
and wearied me with your crimes.
It is I, I, who wipe out,
for my own sake, your offenses;
your sins I remember no more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
This selection from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is addressed to the exiles in Babylon. It is part of an elegant poem on redemption of the people and restoration to Jerusalem. This section the author’s voice shifts to Yahweh as the salvation of the Exodus is recounted and redemption (a new exodus from Babylon) is once more promised (“I am doing something new!”). In recounting the fallen faith of the people (“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you grew weary of me, O Israel.”) it is made clear that God’s forgiveness and continued support is an expression of his mercy alone- not because of their fidelity and love.
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Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
R. (5b) Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor;
in the day of misfortune the LORD will deliver him.
The LORD will keep and preserve him;
and make him blessed on earth,
and not give him over to the will of his enemies.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
The LORD will help him on his sickbed,
he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.
Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me;
heal me, though I have sinned against you."
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
But because of my integrity you sustain me
and let me stand before you forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity. Amen. Amen.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
Psalm 41 is a song of thanksgiving. The author gives thanks for God’s healing (from an illness). The themes of mercy shown even to those who have sinned and help for the lowly are central as is the Hebrew understanding that this affliction was a consequence of having sinned. The final strophe is a closing doxology that closes this section of the Psalter.
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Reading II: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
As God is faithful,
our word to you is not "yes" and "no."
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me,
was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ
and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us
and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Cor 1:18-22
St. Paul has been criticized by the people at Corinth. His critics have accused him of failing to deliver on promises he made. In this part of his response to that charge he recounts his singleness of purpose in confessing the absolute truth in Christ Jesus. God, says the Apostle, is always faithful (“For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;”). The point he intends is that as God is faithful so is his servant who proclaims his fidelity in Christ Jesus who is God’s Amen (using the Hebrew word for yes).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 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 the paralytic,
"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."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 2:1-12
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic 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.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.
The people I formed for myself,
that they might announce my praise.
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob,
for you grew weary of me, O Israel.
You burdened me with your sins,
and wearied me with your crimes.
It is I, I, who wipe out,
for my own sake, your offenses;
your sins I remember no more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25
This selection from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is addressed to the exiles in Babylon. It is part of an elegant poem on redemption of the people and restoration to Jerusalem. This section the author’s voice shifts to Yahweh as the salvation of the Exodus is recounted and redemption (a new exodus from Babylon) is once more promised (“I am doing something new!”). In recounting the fallen faith of the people (“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you grew weary of me, O Israel.”) it is made clear that God’s forgiveness and continued support is an expression of his mercy alone- not because of their fidelity and love.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
R. (5b) Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor;
in the day of misfortune the LORD will deliver him.
The LORD will keep and preserve him;
and make him blessed on earth,
and not give him over to the will of his enemies.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
The LORD will help him on his sickbed,
he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.
Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me;
heal me, though I have sinned against you."
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
But because of my integrity you sustain me
and let me stand before you forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity. Amen. Amen.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14
Psalm 41 is a song of thanksgiving. The author gives thanks for God’s healing (from an illness). The themes of mercy shown even to those who have sinned and help for the lowly are central as is the Hebrew understanding that this affliction was a consequence of having sinned. The final strophe is a closing doxology that closes this section of the Psalter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
As God is faithful,
our word to you is not "yes" and "no."
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me,
was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ
and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us
and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Cor 1:18-22
St. Paul has been criticized by the people at Corinth. His critics have accused him of failing to deliver on promises he made. In this part of his response to that charge he recounts his singleness of purpose in confessing the absolute truth in Christ Jesus. God, says the Apostle, is always faithful (“For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;”). The point he intends is that as God is faithful so is his servant who proclaims his fidelity in Christ Jesus who is God’s Amen (using the Hebrew word for yes).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 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 the paralytic,
"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."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 2:1-12
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic 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.
The text contains 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 the Christian as opposed to the scribes who would have rejected this notion or the paralytic who already accepted him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The healing miracle that is described in Mark’s Gospel provides a renewed emphasis on our understanding of the relationship between the Savior and each of us and the Church. From a very detached point of view we all understand and know that Jesus came into the world so that we might be reunited with God – reconciled to him by having the great barrier removed that fell when Adam and Eve fell and brought sin into the world. We know again at an intellectual level, that when Jesus offered himself up on the cross it was as a sacrifice of atonement; intended to pay the price for Adam’s sin and open a portal so that all might once more enter God’s Kingdom.
All of these grand theological statements have been poured into us from our earliest years for those of us born in the Christian faith. Looking at the Gospel today as the Lord once more encounters one afflicted, this time with a paralysis, we see on a personal - a real level what that forgiveness accomplishes. Jesus uses the healing miracles as metaphor. We are all wounded, broken, damaged by choices we have made that separate us from Christ. We have all done things that can be classified as sin (the simple definition for sin is “… a conscious failure to love – love self, love others, love God).
When we allow this brokenness to go untended, it is like breaking a bone and not having it set. It does not mend properly and may always be twisted or bent, weakened and unable to work as it was intended. In sever cases it can cripple a person for life. Cripple their ability have relationships with others, ruin the relationships they have with their loved ones. The Lord can heal this injury; these self-inflicted wounds (for even when another person harms us and we allow our bitterness to fester, refusing to forgive them – we sin, injuring ourselves).
The paralytic was brought to the Lord by friends with faith. We have access to forgiveness without such extreme measures. It takes two separate actions on our part. First we must recognize that we have injured our relationship to Christ through sin. Cradle Catholics may recall that in their elementary days they were told to count the number of times they had committed certain sinful acts and report these at the confessional, by the numbers. A priest friend who was returning from hearing confessions at a Catholic Elementary School confided once that hearing these confessions was like “being pelted with popcorn”. As adults our failures generally are much more serious and have a more profound impact in our lives. None the less, the first step is recognizing that we have damaged our relationship with Christ through sin.
The second step, and this may sound simplistic, is true contrition. For Christ, who forgave even those who murdered him, there is nothing he will not forgive of the truly repentant person. The hardest thing we do in our faith is offer the sins we have committed to the one who is without sin. But to receive forgiveness we must ask for it. We must lower ourselves through the roof if necessary to lay helpless before the Son of God, our brokenness laid before him, our helplessness and vulnerability offered to him in faith. When we do this our sins will be forgiven and our relationship with him restored.
If we are brave enough to hear those words, we will also take that experience to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The sacrament offers us several benefits which time prohibits us to fully reflect upon. But chief among them is we speak the words to one who stands in the place of the Lord and are absolved. Like the doctor who reviews the test results and finds the treatment successful, we thought we felt well following our act of contrition, now we hear the official word, words of love from the Church.
Today our prayer is simple. We pray that God will give us the spiritual strength to recognize our sins and weaknesses and offer them to him for healing. We wish to be made whole by the one who is love personified.
Pax
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The healing miracle that is described in Mark’s Gospel provides a renewed emphasis on our understanding of the relationship between the Savior and each of us and the Church. From a very detached point of view we all understand and know that Jesus came into the world so that we might be reunited with God – reconciled to him by having the great barrier removed that fell when Adam and Eve fell and brought sin into the world. We know again at an intellectual level, that when Jesus offered himself up on the cross it was as a sacrifice of atonement; intended to pay the price for Adam’s sin and open a portal so that all might once more enter God’s Kingdom.
All of these grand theological statements have been poured into us from our earliest years for those of us born in the Christian faith. Looking at the Gospel today as the Lord once more encounters one afflicted, this time with a paralysis, we see on a personal - a real level what that forgiveness accomplishes. Jesus uses the healing miracles as metaphor. We are all wounded, broken, damaged by choices we have made that separate us from Christ. We have all done things that can be classified as sin (the simple definition for sin is “… a conscious failure to love – love self, love others, love God).
When we allow this brokenness to go untended, it is like breaking a bone and not having it set. It does not mend properly and may always be twisted or bent, weakened and unable to work as it was intended. In sever cases it can cripple a person for life. Cripple their ability have relationships with others, ruin the relationships they have with their loved ones. The Lord can heal this injury; these self-inflicted wounds (for even when another person harms us and we allow our bitterness to fester, refusing to forgive them – we sin, injuring ourselves).
The paralytic was brought to the Lord by friends with faith. We have access to forgiveness without such extreme measures. It takes two separate actions on our part. First we must recognize that we have injured our relationship to Christ through sin. Cradle Catholics may recall that in their elementary days they were told to count the number of times they had committed certain sinful acts and report these at the confessional, by the numbers. A priest friend who was returning from hearing confessions at a Catholic Elementary School confided once that hearing these confessions was like “being pelted with popcorn”. As adults our failures generally are much more serious and have a more profound impact in our lives. None the less, the first step is recognizing that we have damaged our relationship with Christ through sin.
The second step, and this may sound simplistic, is true contrition. For Christ, who forgave even those who murdered him, there is nothing he will not forgive of the truly repentant person. The hardest thing we do in our faith is offer the sins we have committed to the one who is without sin. But to receive forgiveness we must ask for it. We must lower ourselves through the roof if necessary to lay helpless before the Son of God, our brokenness laid before him, our helplessness and vulnerability offered to him in faith. When we do this our sins will be forgiven and our relationship with him restored.
If we are brave enough to hear those words, we will also take that experience to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The sacrament offers us several benefits which time prohibits us to fully reflect upon. But chief among them is we speak the words to one who stands in the place of the Lord and are absolved. Like the doctor who reviews the test results and finds the treatment successful, we thought we felt well following our act of contrition, now we hear the official word, words of love from the Church.
Today our prayer is simple. We pray that God will give us the spiritual strength to recognize our sins and weaknesses and offer them to him for healing. We wish to be made whole by the one who is love personified.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Jesus Heals the Paralytic” by Alexandre Bida, c. 1880
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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