June 30, Thursday, 13th Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Amos 7: 10:17 Gospel: Mathew 9:1-8
The paralyzed man reminds us that humility is the link between forgiving and healing.
This gospel story concludes with Jesus healing the paralytic and telling him to "rise, pick up your stretcher and go home." The man does just, and the crowds are amazed. It is not only because he had cured the sick and forgiven sins but also because they recognize God’s authority in Jesus.
Here, two miracles occurred. One is material, while the other is spiritual. The spiritual one is that this individual's sins have been pardoned. The physical one is his recovery from paralysis.
We are enlightened by the paralytic's companions' love and concern in bringing him to Jesus. At the same time, Jesus tells the religious leaders that he can heal both the "spiritual" and "physical" problems of the paralytic. The story seems to say that spiritual and bodily health go hand in hand.
Recognizing our need for forgiveness requires guts, but this courage is a tremendous virtue and demonstrates our enormous character strength. As the foundation of all other blessings, we want God's mercy and forgiveness in our lives.
Let us be courageous to ask God for forgiveness and be contrite in our hearts to acknowledge our sins. One of the most crucial things we can do is to demonstrate humility.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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