July 02, 2015 Thursday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time 1st Reading:
Gen 22:1-19
Gospel: Mt 9:1–8
Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake again, and came to his hometown. Here they brought a paralyzed man to him, lying on a bed. Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.” Then some teachers of the Law said to themselves, “This man insults God.” Jesus was aware of what they were thinking, and said, “Why have you such evil thoughts? Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? You must know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the paralyzed man, “Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home.” The man got up, and went home.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Judging others is the favorite pastime of the heart. Education, however, can tame it and teach it to focus on lofty things. Charlotte Bronte puts it this way: “Prejudices are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education”. Surprisingly, education did not free the Teachers of the Law from prejudices. Today’s Gospel showcases their close-mindedness. Jesus had just healed a paralytic but they condemned him instead.
That the healing of the paralytic happened by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Napthali indicates that this miracle had something to do with an important prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah had prophesied that Zebulun and Naphtali would be great again after being devastated by the invading Assyrians in 733 B.C. The Teachers of the Law were too educated to miss this point. Instead of rejoicing over the dawning of the greatness of Zebulun and Naphtali, they mounted a great opposition to Jesus.
Something wonderful happened, however, because the paralytic matched such stubborn opposition with an impressive expression of faith. Jesus amply rewarded the paralytic not only with physical healing but also with forgiveness of his sins. To the Teachers of the Law this was the last straw. Who was Jesus that he should have the authority to forgive sins?
Jesus didn’t have to argue with them. He only had to remind them about what everyone believed in those days: that sickness was related to sinfulness. Ignoring the principles of logic they condemned Jesus. The case of the Teachers of the Law was not a question of lack of education but of lack of faith. If prejudice is difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened by education, how much more the heart whose soil has never been fertilized by faith? – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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