2nd Sunday in Lent 2005

“ Son, thy sins are forgiven thee"

How peculiar these words must have sounded to those who were present to witness the healing of the paralytic, as related to us in today's Gospel lesson. Here is a man, who was totally immobile, asking for mercy to be healed and the Lord Jesus tells him: "Son, your sins are forgiven!" This phrase must have exasperated those present, but very soon after they all hear: "son, now pick up your cot and go your way."

This miracle of the healing of the paralytic was pointedly chosen by the Church Fathers so many centuries ago, to be read in our Churches today, the second Sunday in Lent. We hear this same reading year after year. And when we truly attempt to analyze the incidents of this miracle, we can readily understand the psychological factors involved.

The long Lenten period centers around the need for spiritual and physical cleansing, with the sole purpose of bringing us ultimately to the glorious Resurrection of our Lord.

The healing of the paralytic happened after the Lord forgave him of his sins, thereby making him whole. It is natural to conclude that the paralytic had strayed from the commandments of God, as so many people do. He must have followed his own personal self serving ways, until finally his sinful life literally consumed him, and condemned him to lie motionless on his little cot for many years

His former situation is so vivid in our materialistic world of today, when the lure of eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may die, finds so many adherents to the Epicurean philosophy True-- that many people who live on the edge do not suffer paralysis, as a result of their sinful living. Nonetheless they suffer the effects of spiritual paralysis, a far greater paralysis than that of the physical. It is here then, that the Church, on the occasion of the Lenten period, loudly echoes the intent of the Lord to absolve us from our sins and make us whole.

This morning, I would briefly like to reflect on the nature of the four people who lifted the cot with the paralytic on the thatched roof of what must have been a small house, where Jesus chose to speak to some of the people gathered there. Knowing that the Great Healer was in that house they proceed to enter but there was such a gathering that this could not be effected.

So, they thought of the roof, to remove part of it and lower the paralytic before Jesus. They were bent on exhausting all efforts to effect the healing of their friend. Their faith and perseverance is exemplary and becomes to my estimation a real and true standard, against all of us should measure ourselves.

Firstly, without a doubt we are surely impressed with their conviction. They absolutely believed, that Christ would help their friend. There is no mention as to how this conviction was born within them, but we can assume, that somehow, somewhere, they personally had tasted of the Grace of the Lord, and were cognizant of His supernatural power.

But the fact remains, that this conviction was theirs. It was strong and unshakable; it was irresistible, and it appears, that this all was translated into great hope for their paralytic friend. Nothing was going to stand in their way for fulfilling their desire and hope. I wonder how many of us could hold a candle to the conviction of these four? Are we really people, who believe with total strength, so as to be able to influence the life of others? This is a perpetual question.

Besides conviction, these four also showed undying concern for their friend. Just think of their anxiety of carrying through their decision. The approach to the door was impossible, but they would not be daunted. Their concern was filtered through their profound love for their fellow human being, and no obstacle was to stand in their way.

A natural question then arises for all of us. Do we share this type of concern for our fellow humans? Are we truly concerned with the plight of others? Do we really concerned with our neighbor, our friends, the people we work with, or, who work for us? Do we lend a favorable ear to their problems, or are we comfortably encased in our shell of selfishness? The affirmative answer to these and parallel questions is a must for all Christians.

We thus bring to mind out Lord's teaching, that when he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, He will judge us based on our concern for the alleviation of the sufferings of our fellow humans. Did we give a helping hand? Did we feed the ones who were hungry? Did we clothe them? Did we visit them when they needed comfort lying on their sick bed? Did we attempt to console them when they were troubled, and so forth.

This is the type of concern our Lord demands of us, because, if we enjoy the privileges of this life, it is only through the Grace of God. We should always bear in mind, that if the tables were turned and through some incident they could be turned, would we not want to feel the warmth and the concern of our fellow humans?

Lastly, we marvel at the confidence and perseverance of these four! I wonder though, if our Lord would marvel at our faith? Some of us He would reprimand, as He did Peter, when after a few steps of walking on the water to meet Jesus he doubted, and as a result heard the rebuke: "O man of little faith, why is it that you doubted"

How true, and how unfortunate it is for the human race, that regenerating faith is lacking. Faith of the old, and faith of the young. I am convinced that we shall not see better days, unless we fortify and gird ourselves with that invincible weapon called faith. The conviction, the confidence, the concern and perseverance of the four, carrying the paralytic, were all the by-product of faith.

This is the beauty of the Christians, who choose to grace their lives with the life giving, crowning virtues of faith, hope and charity, or better stated, agape, love. When it becomes our mission to cultivate these virtues, we can see and sense their blossoming to give us real and full meaning to our life.

Let us keep uppermost in our mind the attributes of these four, and moreover let us make these attributes our slogans for finer living. Let us make the decision to strengthen out faith, to live with conviction, with confidence, with concern and perseverance. These virtues give us spiritual power and render us truly invincible. Our focusing on these attributes is the purpose of Lent.

 

+ Fr. George Papadeas