I greet you, dear brethren, on this second Sunday
of the school of repentance. And I do so with
those compassionate words that Christ used when
he healed a paralytic. He said to that unfortunate
individual, My son, your sins are forgiven. Today's
Gospel reading offers us a beautiful illustration
of what it means to use the power of faith. In
this particular passage, the power of faith was
demonstrated to this extent that it raised the
roof of a house in order for God's blessings
to descend upon a hopeless individual. Now in
the second chapter of Mark, the evangelist tells
us that on one occasion, when Christ was preaching
in a house in Capernaum, four men came to that
place in order to bring their invalid friend,
to meet Christ and to ask him, would you heal
my friend? There's nothing greater in this world
than to bring a friend to meet Christ. What a
blessing it is. When they came to the place where
Christ was preaching, They were astounded by
the number of people who surrounded the house.
But they were not to be discouraged. What they
did was rather novel, if not very unconventional.
Since they could not get to the doorway of the
house, their faith gave them additional insight.
So what they did was to raise their paralytic
friend onto the flat roof of the house, dug through
the loose tiles that were there, made an opening
large enough so they could Let down their friend
through the roof. And right before the feet of
Christ. Now that does not take much to visualize.
The amazement of the people. And I'm sure that
the New Testament doesn't tell us. But I'm sure
Christ himself. Smile when he saw that. Here
four men. Who were so concerned. About their
friend. That they made every effort. To bring
him to Christ. And it's interesting. The conversation
that. Resulted between the scribes. Who saw this.
And our Lord. But because there are. Other aspects
of this story. This part of the sermon. Will
be delivered. On another occasion. What Christ.
Saw. Was not what many others saw. Oh, they saw
the rather strong faith and conviction of these
four individuals. I'm sure they were impressed.
One of the ushers, please bring a chair. Now
the evangelist Mark tells us of Jesus' reaction
and the place where all of this happened. First
of all, Jesus saw the devotion and persistence
of these men to bring, again I repeat, to bring
a friend to Christ. But this was a special situation.
This was an individual totally incapable of moving
any of his arms or his legs. They did this because
they believed. They believed that Christ had
the power to heal. And what did Christ do? And
this is a little bit strange. Our Lord being
divine, and as St. Paul said, having the gift
of wisdom and the power of God, saw in the paralytic
something more tragic than his physical illness.
Something more tragic. He saw this helpless individual
as a result of the consequences and of torment
of what sin can do to a body. Not all sin, of
course, results. In a body being sick. But in
this particular case, Christ knew by divine instinct
that the greater tragedy that this lad was suffering
from was guilt and sin. Sickness took over. The
point of this miracle, as all miracles in the
New Testament, is not only what Jesus did then,
but what Jesus still continues to do now through
the church, through the sacrament of confession.
To those... Who are paralyzed. With guilt and
sin. Know this. That the Lord is compassionate.
And is concerned about you and me. And what did
he say to the paralytic? His first statement
was this. My son, your sins are forgiven. Not
that you are healed, but your sins are forgiven
because they are forgiven. You're healed. We
hear those words. Those words still ring out
in the church. When the priest in the prayer
of absolution says that prayer to the power given
unto me like given unto Nathan who forgave David
for his dreadful sins. Your sins are forgiven.
Go in peace. You recall after the Vespers of
Forgiveness last Sunday. We heard these words.
And the choir sang them with such joy and reverence.
This is the acceptable time. The time of repentance
is here. You know, my dear brethren, spiritually
speaking, we are all situated by the waters of
Babylon. Meaning this, we all are in a spiritual
and physical predicament. We are in a place of
lostness as we heard on the first Sunday when
the church remembered how Adam and Eve were exiled
from paradise because of sin. We are all in sorrow.
And in the words of St. Paul, we have all sinned
and fall short. Of the glory of God. Now to be
estranged. From God. And his teachings. Invariably
lead. To spiritual darkness. To sin. And yes.
Sometimes. To sickness. To those who feel they
have no reason to confess their sins. To those
who maintain that they could go directly to God
to confess their sins and they don't need a bishop
or priest. To the religious drifters who hide
behind the scene of pride and self -sufficiency,
know that there is solid spiritual evidence plus
2 ,000 years of the Church's teachings and tradition
plus the writings And witness of thousands of
saints. That the sacrament of confession or repentance.
Is not optional. But was established by Christ.
For the purpose. For the sole purpose of healing.
And restoring our relationship with Christ. And
the church. And this is said in the longer. Prayer
of absolution. You reconcile to God. You reconcile
to others. And you reconcile yourself. To yourself.
If we say we have no sin. Says the evangelist
John. We deceive ourselves. And the truth is
not in us. Jesus gave his disciples the authority
to sin. Both in the St. Matthew's Gospel and
in St. John's is clear. If you forgive sins,
our Lord said to the apostles, sins are forgiven
of any. But if you retain them, They are retained.
But he also said this. At the beginning. Of his
ministry. The first sermon. That he gave. Was
quoting. Saint John the Baptist. Repent. For
the kingdom of God is at hand. That was his first
sermon. And throughout. The core. Of his ministry.
Jesus continually emphasized that the time is
here. The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom
of God is here. What a beautiful thought. Repentance
and remission of sins, said Christ, should be
preached. And that's what the church has been
doing for 2 ,000 years. Glory be to him who has
come to save, to heal us, and to restore us to
the joy of the kingdom of God.