Join Msgr. Don Fischer as he reads and delivers a short reflection on today’s gospel, followed by 3 1/2 minutes of contemplative music and a closing prayer. Msgr. Don hopes that today’s reflection on the gospel will empower you to carry the Word in your heart throughout the day.

Choose either the video or audio below.

Gospel
Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
“Child, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
“Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?”
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what 
they were thinking to themselves, 
so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”
–he said to the paralytic,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”
He rose, picked up his mat at once, 
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Reflection

There's an important moment in this particular story that I think has to be understood clearly.

We when we follow Jesus, when he when God is within us, we don't go around basically and healing every disease, and we don't have demons screaming at us and saying we ought to stop bothering them. No, what all of this is pointing to in this passage is that the real healing that we have to offer one another is in forgiveness.

Forgiveness that is more important than any other healing power that Jesus has given to each of us. The power to forgive, to stop the cycle of hate or division, but to bring about a kind of unity that can only be experienced when one has that compassionate forgiveness, filling their heart and offering it to one another.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us to understand the power of forgiveness, the healing that can happen when we choose always not to judge and not to condemn, but to somehow accept and long for someone who's caught in evil to be transformed by your grace. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.