“What is easier”
Jesus is the greatest physician. Jesus is connecting two sacraments in the Gospel this week that He would later hand down to the Apostles: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. “The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.” [1]
Is there a pattern to the Seven Sacraments? Yes. There are three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. These fully incorporate us into the Body of Christ, the Church. What if that Body gets sick? There are two Sacraments of Healing: Anointing of Sick and Reconciliation. What should a healthy body do? It should serve God and neighbor out of charity. There are two Sacraments of service to the Church and world, these Sacraments also transmit physical and spiritual life; they are Holy Orders and Matrimony.
The first thing Jesus does before curing his disability was forgiving his sins. “Probably at that moment it was not his sins that were worrying him but his illness. Nevertheless, the first miracle that Christ performed for him was to free him from the weight of the sins that hindered his soul more than the paralysis that immobilized his limbs.” [2]
Why did Jesus heal the paralyzed man? Jesus heals the paralytic because of his faith. “It was the faith of the paralytic and those who carried him that moved Jesus to heal the sick man. Accounts of other miracles of Jesus reveal more and more his emphasis on faith as the requisite for exercising his healing powers” [3] It was also, “The healing of the body testifies to the remission of sins; it is an external sign for all to see of the pardon granted, and at the same time shows the generosity of God’s pardon; he not only destroys the man’s sins, but blesses him in a wonderful way.” [4]
Jesus also healed the paralyzed man for the same reason He healed many people; He is love and compassionate. “His compassion toward all who suffer goes so far that he identifies himself with them: ‘I was sick and you visited me.’ His preferential love for the sick has not ceased through the centuries to draw the very special attention of Christians toward all those who suffer in body and soul. It is the source of tireless efforts to comfort them.” [5]
What else does Jesus do for us? He forgives our sins. Sometimes this can be harder to feel. Think about it, when someone is healed of an illness or injury, they know it right away and can feel it. To say someone’s sins have been forgiven, it may not have a physical experience to it, but spiritually it is a huge relief. Jesus says to the people “What is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?”. [6] He knew that even if he cured the man’s physical problems this would not heal his soul, which is far more important. He could move his legs again, but would be able to carry the weight of the sin he had on him? Probably not.
During the Rite of Reconciliation we hear the words of absolution, “God the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” [7] Whether we feel it or not, if we have made a good confession, we are absolved from our sins. In Psalm 103 we pray, “As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins.” [8]What prevents us from believing and trusting in the mercy and forgiveness of God? Not only should we believe that we are forgiven, but we should praise God for His great Mercy. We think of the order in which Jesus forgives the paralyzed man’s sins first and then cures him physically. Psalm 103 also says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! … He forgives all your iniquity; e heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the pit; he crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. He satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.” [9] A good place to practice the thankfulness of mercy and forgiveness is by praying Psalm 103.
Since Jesus has the supreme authority to forgive sins because He is God, He also has the authority to pass on the ability to forgive sins through His apostles. At Jesus’ resurrection, He gives the power to forgive sins to the apostles, who are the first priests: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.” [10] A priest has the authority to forgive, only because He attained this power through the power of Jesus Christ, who is God.
Search: Reconciliation
Why is it hard to feel healed spiritually? It can be hard at times to feel the healing power of forgiveness because Satan does not want us to feel like we have been forgiven. He wants us to think we have not been forgiven or worse that we can never be forgiven of something that we have done. Know that there is no sin too great that cannot be forgiven as long as you examine your conscience, embrace confession and seeks God’s forgiveness with great faith. How does Satan keep you down and not feel as if you have been forgiven of your past sins?
Sin paralyzes the soul. The only person who can heal it is God. We are personally obligated and responsible to keep our soul healthy, and from going back to injury. Think for example an athlete, who suffers a horrible injury. It can take them a long time to recuperate. Once they are healed, they may be timid at first to go full strength and may be cautious. With our souls, after being forgiven we should be cautious and weary of going into the world. We say in the Act of Contrition, “ I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” We should not be afraid to not go at all, we just need to remember our resolve to “sin no more” and “to avoid the near occasion of sin.” How can we do this? We can only do this “with the help of Your [God’s] grace.”. We need to go out into the world and be who God wants us to be: Holy witnesses to the mystery of God.
[1] CCC 1421
[2] Divine Intimacy pg. 241
[3] Mk 2:5 footnotes
[4] Divine Intimacy pg. 241
[5] CCC 1503
[6] Mk. 2:9
[7] Rite of Penance
[8] Psalm 103; Liturgy of the Hours; Week IV; Wednesday, Office of Readings
[9] Psalm 103: 1,3-5,13-14
[10] Jn. 20:20