The Healing of a Paralytic

Today's Reflections

 

                               

 

     

The Healing of a Paralytic 

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Mt 9:1-8

¹[Jesus] entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. ²And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” ³At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” ⁴Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? ⁵Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” ⁷He rose and went home. ⁸When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.

 

Reflection:

Your sins are forgiven. The people bring a paralytic to Jesus for healing. Jesus does for the man more than what they want and what the man expects. Jesus does not only heal the man; he forgives his sins as well, and indeed, first of all.

We have here a picture of what we should be doing—bringing to Jesus people who suffer from their sins and illnesses. We should bring them to Jesus in prayer.

I have a friend who sends me SMS/text messages daily (sometimes more than once) different prayer intentions which have been brought to her. I, in turn, pray for them. She spends some money to send the text messages, but she gladly does it to present the concerns of people to our Lord. She is like the people who bring the paralytic to Jesus.

List five persons whose needs

you will pray for in the next five days.