 |
“Christ Healing the Paralytic”
by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo 1617 – 1682 |
Readings for Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading I: 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a
All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah
and said to him, “Now that you are old,
and your sons do not follow your example,
appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us.”
Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them.
He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer:
“Grant the people’s every request.
It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”
Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full
to those who were asking him for a king.
He told them:
“The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows:
He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses,
and they will run before his chariot.
He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups
of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers.
He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting,
and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers.
He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves,
and give them to his officials.
He will tithe your crops and your vineyards,
and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves.
He will take your male and female servants,
as well as your best oxen and your asses,
and use them to do his work.
He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves.
When this takes place,
you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,
but on that day the LORD will not answer you.”
The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said,
“Not so! There must be a king over us.
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles.”
When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say,
he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,
“Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a
The story of Samuel’s life is concluded with a request from the people for him (Samuel) to appoint a king to “judge” them. Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah had been appointed as judges but were seen as corrupt, hence the statement “your sons do not follow your example.” Samuel is concerned over the people’s request because he believes that they should look to God as their only king but God tells Samuel to give them what they ask for. This he eventually does, but not without warning them first of the damage they will suffer as a consequence. They continue with their desire: “We too must be like other nations.” Ultimately Saul is appointed as king.
"Israel clamors for a king, and a new phase of biblical history begins. The transition from Judges to Kings is occasioned by a crisis of corrupt leadership (1 Samuel 2:12-17; 8:3) and a growing secular desire to be 'like all the nations' (8:5 [above]). [4]
"Their attitude towards kingship is not uniform - in chapters 8, 10:17-27, and 12 it is negative, in other chapters positive. This reflects the ancient controversy concerning the merits of kingship. In biblical scholarship the difference is usually explained by assuming different sources: the pro-monarch chapters 9:1, 10:16 and 11 are believed to belong to an older source, the anti-monarch chapters 8, 10:17-27, and 12 to a later one." [5]
CCC: 1 Sm 8:10-61 2580; 1 Sm 8:10-12 697
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:16-17, 18-19
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
For you are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 89:16-17, 18-19
Psalm 89 is a lament of the community. This first section is prophetic and reiterates the strength of the Davidic dynasty. With clear focus on the people of God, these strophes are part of the song of praise for God who is the true shield and king.
CCC: Ps 89 709
-------------------------------------------
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 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.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 2:1-12
The story of Jesus healing the paralytic begins a series of conflicts between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees in Mark’s Gospel. The story clearly demonstrates the connection between healing, faith, and forgiveness. When Jesus tells the paralytic his sins are forgiven, the scribes immediately understand the revelatory nature of the statement. Only God has the authority to forgive sins. Since they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, his words are blasphemy, a charge they will bring out again later at his trial. Later in the Gospel, Mark attaches even more importance to faith as a component of healing.
The Lord’s response, “the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth,” is probably directed at St. Mark’s Christian audience rather than at the scribes or the paralytic in the story. Jesus' identity is then confirmed by the miraculous action that follows, as the paralytic is told to rise, pick up his mat, and go. This command by Jesus and response by the paralytic confirms that the man’s sins are forgiven.
CCC: Mk 2:1-12 1421; Mk 2:5-12 1502, 1503; Mk 2:5 1441, 1484, 2616; Mk 2:7 430, 574, 589, 1441; Mk 2:8 473; Mk 2:10 1441
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The story of the paralytic brings into sharp focus the link between forgiveness and healing. At the ten-thousand-foot level, Jesus comes into the world as a sacrifice of atonement. Thinking of the Jewish tradition at the time, the only way it was believed that God would forgive sins was if the priests of the temple offered a sacrifice on the altar. This had to be done in a prescribed way. The sacrifice was an animal offered for a specific individual or family, with the animal to be sacrificed either purchased by the ones whose sin was being expiated or supplied by them. We supply this detail so the reaction of the scribes present could be explained. The story says the scribes were thinking: “’Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?’”
Let us for a moment consider “forgiveness.” Forgiveness has a number of elements and is frequently misused. When we say we forgive a person it may mean that we have released that person from a claim of vengeance as a consequence of some injury. In other words, we will not take revenge for the wrong we have forgiven. If a person is rude or perhaps even physically abusive to us, we can say we forgive them, but our intent is only to tell them we will not retaliate. In our minds we may still hold significant resentment toward that person. In that case, while one of the definitions of forgiveness may have been satisfied, we have not forgiven as God would forgive, and certainly the positive spiritual effect on the one doing the forgiving would not be felt.
Forgiveness as God offers it is complete. There is no residual resentment, there is no future retaliation; there is only love. The best example we find in our human existence is the love between parent and child. When a child does something hurtful to the parent, the loving parent forgives the child because, even though the action was hurtful, their acceptance of that child’s failings is tempered by the love they have for them. That same level of forgiveness is what Jesus calls us to, as he demonstrates the effect of his forgiveness on the paralytic.
We are called to be like the Lord, to emulate him as best we can. And what we discover when we try to emulate his love and forgiveness of others is that we ourselves find the peace only he can offer. In forgiving others, we find our own forgiveness. In emulating Christ’s forgiveness, we understand how he can forgive us.
Today we ask God for forgiveness from all the ways we have offended him. We beg for the strength to forgive others and, even more difficult in some cases, to accept God’s forgiveness. It is one more way we find his healing peace dwelling within us.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Christ Healing the Paralytic” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo 1617 – 1682.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, The First and Second Books of Samuel © 2016, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA., p. 26.
[5] The Jewish Study Bible, © 2004 Oxford University Press, New York, NY, p. 574.
No comments:
Post a Comment