THE WORD
Is 35,1-10 / Lk 5,17-26
One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set (him) in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’, he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
IN OTHER WORDS
There are those who are saved by the faith and prayers of their parents. When St. Augustine lived a reckless and immoral life, his devout mother St. Monica came with a request to the bishop St. Ambrose, who said, “It is impossible that the child of such prayers and tears should perish.” Many of us owe everything that we are and ever will be to the faith of our pious and God-fearing parents.
But there are those who are saved daily by the faith and prayers of those who truly care. Blood is not always thicker than water. There are friends who could be more than our blood brothers and sisters. These friends know our pain and suffering; they see the sorrow in our eyes. They are always there to lend a helping hand. They help us carry the heavy load along the narrow and dangerous path of life. Blessed are you if you have a friend who will do everything just to help you ease your pain, discomfort and suffering. Real friends are some of our real treasures.
This has been proven by the friends of the paralyzed man in today’s gospel reading. These friends moved heaven and earth to bring their paralytic friend to Jesus. Nothing is impossible to those who believe. Faith is stronger than fear. More than anything else about the paralytic and his friends, there is Jesus who is always close to those who cannot help themselves. Upon the healing of the paralytic, his friends and the crowd who were witnesses to the miracle of healing were awed. They said, “We have seen incredible things today.”
- Fr. Louie A. Punzalan SVD | USC, Cebu City
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
