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I greet you, dear brethren, on this second Sunday

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of the school of repentance. And I do so with

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those compassionate words that Christ used when

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he healed a paralytic. He said to that unfortunate

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individual, My son, your sins are forgiven. Today's

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Gospel reading offers us a beautiful illustration

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of what it means to use the power of faith. In

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this particular passage, the power of faith was

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demonstrated to this extent that it raised the

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roof of a house in order for God's blessings

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to descend upon a hopeless individual. Now in

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the second chapter of Mark, the evangelist tells

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us that on one occasion, when Christ was preaching

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in a house in Capernaum, four men came to that

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place in order to bring their invalid friend,

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to meet Christ and to ask him, would you heal

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my friend? There's nothing greater in this world

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than to bring a friend to meet Christ. What a

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blessing it is. When they came to the place where

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Christ was preaching, They were astounded by

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the number of people who surrounded the house.

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But they were not to be discouraged. What they

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did was rather novel, if not very unconventional.

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Since they could not get to the doorway of the

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house, their faith gave them additional insight.

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So what they did was to raise their paralytic

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friend onto the flat roof of the house, dug through

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the loose tiles that were there, made an opening

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large enough so they could Let down their friend

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through the roof. And right before the feet of

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Christ. Now that does not take much to visualize.

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The amazement of the people. And I'm sure that

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the New Testament doesn't tell us. But I'm sure

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Christ himself. Smile when he saw that. Here

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four men. Who were so concerned. About their

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friend. That they made every effort. To bring

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him to Christ. And it's interesting. The conversation

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that. Resulted between the scribes. Who saw this.

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And our Lord. But because there are. Other aspects

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of this story. This part of the sermon. Will

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be delivered. On another occasion. What Christ.

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Saw. Was not what many others saw. Oh, they saw

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the rather strong faith and conviction of these

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four individuals. I'm sure they were impressed.

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One of the ushers, please bring a chair. Now

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the evangelist Mark tells us of Jesus' reaction

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and the place where all of this happened. First

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of all, Jesus saw the devotion and persistence

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of these men to bring, again I repeat, to bring

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a friend to Christ. But this was a special situation.

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This was an individual totally incapable of moving

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any of his arms or his legs. They did this because

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they believed. They believed that Christ had

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the power to heal. And what did Christ do? And

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this is a little bit strange. Our Lord being

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divine, and as St. Paul said, having the gift

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of wisdom and the power of God, saw in the paralytic

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something more tragic than his physical illness.

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Something more tragic. He saw this helpless individual

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as a result of the consequences and of torment

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of what sin can do to a body. Not all sin, of

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course, results. In a body being sick. But in

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this particular case, Christ knew by divine instinct

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that the greater tragedy that this lad was suffering

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from was guilt and sin. Sickness took over. The

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point of this miracle, as all miracles in the

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New Testament, is not only what Jesus did then,

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but what Jesus still continues to do now through

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the church, through the sacrament of confession.

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To those... Who are paralyzed. With guilt and

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sin. Know this. That the Lord is compassionate.

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And is concerned about you and me. And what did

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he say to the paralytic? His first statement

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was this. My son, your sins are forgiven. Not

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that you are healed, but your sins are forgiven

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because they are forgiven. You're healed. We

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hear those words. Those words still ring out

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in the church. When the priest in the prayer

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of absolution says that prayer to the power given

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unto me like given unto Nathan who forgave David

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for his dreadful sins. Your sins are forgiven.

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Go in peace. You recall after the Vespers of

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Forgiveness last Sunday. We heard these words.

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And the choir sang them with such joy and reverence.

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This is the acceptable time. The time of repentance

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is here. You know, my dear brethren, spiritually

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speaking, we are all situated by the waters of

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Babylon. Meaning this, we all are in a spiritual

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and physical predicament. We are in a place of

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lostness as we heard on the first Sunday when

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the church remembered how Adam and Eve were exiled

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from paradise because of sin. We are all in sorrow.

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And in the words of St. Paul, we have all sinned

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and fall short. Of the glory of God. Now to be

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estranged. From God. And his teachings. Invariably

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lead. To spiritual darkness. To sin. And yes.

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Sometimes. To sickness. To those who feel they

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have no reason to confess their sins. To those

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who maintain that they could go directly to God

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to confess their sins and they don't need a bishop

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or priest. To the religious drifters who hide

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behind the scene of pride and self -sufficiency,

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know that there is solid spiritual evidence plus

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2 ,000 years of the Church's teachings and tradition

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plus the writings And witness of thousands of

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saints. That the sacrament of confession or repentance.

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Is not optional. But was established by Christ.

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For the purpose. For the sole purpose of healing.

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And restoring our relationship with Christ. And

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the church. And this is said in the longer. Prayer

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of absolution. You reconcile to God. You reconcile

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to others. And you reconcile yourself. To yourself.

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If we say we have no sin. Says the evangelist

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John. We deceive ourselves. And the truth is

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not in us. Jesus gave his disciples the authority

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to sin. Both in the St. Matthew's Gospel and

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in St. John's is clear. If you forgive sins,

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our Lord said to the apostles, sins are forgiven

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of any. But if you retain them, They are retained.

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But he also said this. At the beginning. Of his

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ministry. The first sermon. That he gave. Was

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quoting. Saint John the Baptist. Repent. For

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the kingdom of God is at hand. That was his first

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sermon. And throughout. The core. Of his ministry.

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Jesus continually emphasized that the time is

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here. The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom

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of God is here. What a beautiful thought. Repentance

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and remission of sins, said Christ, should be

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preached. And that's what the church has been

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doing for 2 ,000 years. Glory be to him who has

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come to save, to heal us, and to restore us to

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the joy of the kingdom of God.