Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
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 then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
Rise and walk
1) He made the crossing. It’s so interesting to see that even when Jesus could take a moment to enjoy when things were going well, He still accepts that His mission and His life are a constant challenge. You should do the same. Don’t stay still, always look for more. Don’t dwell on the applause or your achievements, that is momentary. Turn back to look at what you have been made for, what your mission is, and focus on continuing to do things. Don’t let anything stop you. Dare to do new and even different things. Every challenge brings about an achievement, even when there’s failure, because you learn from everything… but if you don’t take any risks, you don’t accomplish anything.
2) A paralytic. Every day we might also go through a type of paralysis. I refer to situations and moments in which you cannot move; your mind makes you feel papralyzed, and the phrase: “I can’t do this” keeps going around in your head. There’s also another type pf paralysis: an “affective paralysis” in which you no longer feel like doing anything because the person you opened your heart to has destroyed it. Those forms of paralysis lead you to feel apathetic, not wanting to move ahead. That’s why today Jesus comes before you to remind you,, once again, that you have a new opportunity – if you decide to take it. Give yourself the chance to walk again!
3) The scribes. In this life, you’ll also meet people who are going to talk about you, but that should not lead you to stop doing good. Jesus knows that He’s being criticized and that many even want to kill Him, but that does not stop Him from action. He knows that his action will save a life. Many times, we do not act for fear of what people will say, but we’re also leaving aside the possibility of doing good to others. Never stop doing good for fear of what other people might think or say.
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Never forget that something good is on the way.
