REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/14/22 (Friday)

Mark 2:6-8

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 "Why does this Man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His Spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts?

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Blessed Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time! In our gospel reading today, we read the healing of the paralytic man who was brought to the home where Jesus was. The people who brought the paralytic made a way such as by making a hole on top of the roof where the paralytic man could enter. Then, Jesus forgave the man of his sins. This signifies the divinity of Jesus because only God can forgive sins. However, some of the scribes did not see this truth about Christ. They overlooked His Divinity and miracles, and they focused on small details which they criticized such as by accusing Him of blasphemy. Their hearts were unclean and full of pride that they questioned Jesus rather than accept His teachings. They were unable to see His Infinite Mercy towards the healed man. 

The same may be true for us. Our hearts can be unclean due to our sins. This can happen when we attach our hearts to worldly things. It's possible that we idolize other people and associate ourselves with them to the point that we no longer see that we are participating in sin. And, what do we do when we see other devoted Catholics who go to the sacrament of confession and who practice their faith? Like the scribes, we may overlook the graces that God shower them and instead, we may look for small details where we can criticize them. Yet, Jesus Christ sees the depths of our hearts, minds and souls. He wants to purify our hearts that may be filled with pride and other sins. Instead of being jealous, we should glorify Him in our actions and in our words. Perhaps, He is inviting us to imitate the example of the saints and devout people who participate in the Sacrament of confession. All of our sins will be forgiven because it is God who forgives, and He uses priests as His instruments. We should always persevere in loving Him, not in questioning Him or doubting Him. 

May we always pray to Jesus for us to always keep guard of our thoughts, words and actions. This is a humble act that is pleasing to our God because we can avoid our prideful and envious thinking by the grace of God. Let us also frequent the sacraments like the saints for us to receive the outpouring of God's mercy. When we come to the sacrament of confession rather than stay away from it, He will cleanse our hearts of all our sins, especially grave sins. Like the paralytic, we can walk with Christ in our journey to heaven solely by His grace. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic