Friday of the
Second Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 4:1-5.11;
Mark 2:1-12)
Two generations ago
people began to see themselves as free of sin.
It was particularly evident in the Catholic Church when few came to
confessions. A generation before people
lined up for confession for hours on Saturday afternoon. Then the lines shriveled until a half an hour
was all the time needed for the few who came to ask forgiveness. Without this sense of sin today’s gospel and
Jesus’ whole mission make little sense.
Jesus preached God’s
love for everyone, including those who sinned greatly. He died on the cross to free humans from the punishment
their sins deserved. He taught that they need not worry over past sins if they
accepted God’s love and turned away from evil.
To show that his message was authentic, Jesus healed the paralytic after
pronouncing the forgiveness of his sins.
The paralytic himself showed faith in Jesus’ message by exerting himself
and others to be put in his presence.
We too must exert
ourselves by acknowledging our sins despite a generation that avoids the
subject. We also need to exert ourselves
by confessing our sins to a priest. The
exercises serve us well. We are relieved
of the punishment our sins merited. We also
can live with the firm hope of experiencing the fullness of God’s love.
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