224. Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
Meditations no. 98 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
The healing of the paralytic at Capharnaum.
When he returned to Capharnaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay.
A poor man lay on his bed, unable to move. He couldnât work in the fields; he couldnât take part in planting the crops, or gathering in the harvest, or collecting the fruit from the olive trees at the start of winter. He felt useless, done for. But then some good friends came along with news that gave him fresh hope. The Prophet from Galilee was passing through the town. Perhaps he could cure him⌠And now the paralytic lay at Christâs feet, while all around, the people waited expectantly for a miracle.
But Jesusâ penetrating gaze went deeper, passing through the sick manâs body and reaching his soul. Jesus looks at him. Note his words: Confide fili. Faith, my child. When you feel the weight of your errors, have faith above all. Then let yourself be carried along like the paralytic. Be obedient.
Jesus enlightened that manâs soul and enabled him to feel sorrow and deep humility. It is Jesus who speaks: Confide fili, remittuntur tibi peccata tua (take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven). As I have already told you, the first thing you need is faith; above all have faith! And if you feel you are unable to, then say: âI believe, but help my unbelief!â - adiuva incredulitatem meam. The experience of my life is so sad, Jesus. I am just a dirty rag. I donât deserve to be your child. Say this to him often, as I do.
Despite the number of people there, a deep silence filled the little house at Capharnaum. The paralyticâs eyes were fixed on Christ. Only Jesus could restore strength to his feeble limbs. Only he could inject new life into his inert body. Seeing his faith, Jesus said to him: My son, your sins are forgiven.
Only God can forgive sins. Et ecce quidem scribis dixerunt inter se: hic blasphemat. (Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, âThis man is blaspheming.â) Jesusâ words, my children, produce a sort of interior uproar, a cry from within that can only be heard by God, who sees into the depths of peopleâs consciences. âThis man is blaspheming!â Et cum vidisset Jesus cogitationes eorum, dicit: Ut quid cogitatis mala in cordibus vestris? (But Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said, âWhy do you think evil in your hearts?â)â How mild his reaction is! He is God, and yet he answers calmly and with astounding gentleness: Quid est facilius⌠? Which is easier: to forgive sins, or to say: âRise, take up your bed and walkâ?
Before the onlookersâ astonished gaze, the miracle was performed. It was a sign and guarantee of a greater miracle that took place in the soul. The man who had been paralysed rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all.
Our personal failings shouldnât discourage us: they should lead to greater trust in God.
The scene we have been contemplating makes us realize that in the course of our life, any one of us could be in similar trouble to the paralytic, struck down by paralysis of the soul, spiritually weakened. Even though we may have been fighting for years, we know that we are still full of faults, errors, failures, and omissions. This is so obviously true that we cannot deny it. We also need to recognize that besides the faults we are aware of, there are others that are hidden from us. But our Father assures us that personal failings are never an obstacle so long as there is good will on our part.
This is what we can learn from this Gospel passage. If the paralytic hadnât fostered in his heart the hope of being cured, if he hadnât let his friends carry him to Jesus, then that miraculous healing would never have come about. Had he not believed in Jesusâ word, he would never have recovered his health. Our Lord doesnât abandon us, and whenever it has proved necessary he has reached out to us with his all-powerful love and filled the hearts of his children with peace and confidence. And our Father goes on: The sense of security provided by our vocation will encourage us to greater contemplative piety. One sign of this will be the peace and calm with which we react to our weaknesses and errors. For as blood immediately rushes to a wound, so an act of contrition, the desire to return to the right path, springs to the heart and even to the lips of contemplative people, each time they have done something wrong. It shows a thirst for purification. It is a sign of genuine love.
Donât get discouraged, our Father insists, by your personal failings or mine, by our defeats. Open your heart and be simple. Then let us continue on our way with greater affection, with the strength God gives us. For someone to throw everything away just because they have lost one particular item is absurd and pointless; itâs the act of a madman. We have in our possession a wonderful treasure, and if for any reason, somewhere along the way, we lose part of it, or even most of it, itâs no reason for us to despair and throw away everything thatâs left. The obvious thing to do is to learn from that experience in order to make sure we donât lose any more of it. In the affairs of the soul nothing is ever hopelessly lost. Thereâs only one mortal illness. The only fatal mistake is to resign ourselves to defeat and not fight with a sporting spirit, the spirit of Godâs children.
Loyalty towards those around us helps us advance along the path of sanctity.
Let me insist. Be faithful. This is deeply embedded in my heart. If you are faithful, our service to souls and to the holy Church will yield abundant spiritual fruit. Certainly there may be times when we grow cold; times when we lose our supernatural outlook, and when everything looks dark. But that shouldnât worry us. God our Lord knows my weakness and yours. We are all ordinary people, but Jesus Christ has chosen to make us a channel through which the waters of his mercy and Love may reach many souls.
God is ready to help us, to give us his hand and lift us up as often as necessary. He only asks for a little cooperation on our part. He wants us to make the effort to raise our arms and our hearts to him whenever we feel weak. Then he will work real miracles. Using us as his instruments, he will heal those around us. There are many souls around you, our Father wrote, and we have no right to be an obstacle to their spiritual good. We are obliged to seek Christian perfection and be saints. We canât let God down, after he has chosen us to be his own; nor can we let all those other people down, who hope for so much from our apostolic work. There are human considerations to bear in mind as well, such as a sense of loyalty towards others, which requires us to give a good example. If we ever have the misfortune to do anything unworthy of a Christian, we have to ask God for the grace to get back onto the right path.
Within the great mass of humanity we need to act as leaven in the dough. That means we have to be saints: making amends for our past failures, and trying with a humble heart to practise the virtues in our ordinary life. If we live in this way, we will be faithful.
The lesson that Christ teaches us by healing the paralytic is clear. When there is a desire to be cured, and faith in Godâs power; when the soul recognizes its paralysis, its many sins, and is attentive to the Saviourâs word; then it can be restored to life, and regain the strength and vigour it needs in order to attract others. My children, our Father says, all this teaching of our Lord is for you, who are other Christs, so that you can repeat the miracle and raise paralytics from their sickbeds. You will attract some of them to a complete dedication; others, you will at least bring a little closer to Christian life. My child, it is worth making the effort! It is worth trying to be humble and obedient, and to steep yourself in the spirit of Opus Dei, so that you can carry it to every nation on earth!
Our Mother Mary: ask your Son Jesus to grant us these virtues of humility and obedience, which are so essential for our mission with souls.