Homily for January 17, 2020

In our Gospel reading today, we hear the famous story of Jesus healing the paralytic on the stretcher and, yet, the healing of the man was kind of a supporting part of the larger story: the forgiveness of sins. The healing of the man was to show the doubters and the critics that he had the power to forgive sins. And, again, as we see in most healing stories, it is because of their faith that they are healed; that they are forgiven. And this is not so much of a reward; their faith is what opens them up to God’s healing power, which is always there.

So, the main focus of this story really is not the healing of a person’s body but the healing of our souls when we are transformed by God’s forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our relationships with God and with one another. This healing came about for the paralyzed man who believed that Jesus could heal him. Indeed, his faith, and the faith of his friends who placed him before Jesus, transformed his life and theirs.

Let us pray for the faith we need to allow God’s healing power into our hearts and souls.+