Do I suffer from spiritual paralysis?

Reading: Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. Luke 5:18.

Good morning, happy Monday, and many blessings my dear family.

In today’s Gospel (Lucas 5:17-26) Jesus tells His disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets.  I have come not to abolish the law and the prophets.  I have come, not to abolish them, but rather to fulfill them.”  He reassures his followers when He says: “I assure you: until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the law, not the smallest part of a letter, shall be done away with until it all comes true.”

Then Jesus continues with these words: “That is why anyone who breaks the least of these commands and invites another person to break these commands will be called ‘least’ in the Kingdom of God.  However, whoever lives and teaches these commands will be great in the Kingdom of God”.  Jesus ends with: “I tell you, unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the kingdom of God”.  

Jesus then speaks about the serious offenses, such as: “Do not murder.”  I suspect that most of us will never murder another person.  However, all of us at times have made comments about a family member, a friend or a stranger that may have been demeaning, critical or degrading of this individual.  Sad to say, many of us humans do this every day!  

To understand what is happening in this gospel scene, we have to realize the perceived close relationship in those days between sin and sickness. Sickness, especially something chronic like paralysis or blindness, was often presumed to be the result of or punishment for sin. So, if Jesus can totally remove the sickness, it must mean the sin which caused it has gone too. Jesus can forgive sin.

We also need the healing of Christ which removes the things which paralyze us in our following him. We are invited to stand anew in the life that he gives and find our way to our true home, which is to be with him.

Jesus in his act of healing looks at the whole person. He recognized that the man’s paralysis was not just physical, but that he did not have the strength to make a positive act of faith. There are times when we need to be helped to ask for healing, or to help others to do so. It was the faith of his friends and not the paralyzed man’s own faith to which Jesus responded, “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “My friend, your sons are forgiven.” When we forgive, and when we are forgiven, a crippling burden is lifted from our shoulders. We can then, like the man in this episode, rise and walk.

In summary, in this miracle, Jesus performs both a spiritual and a physical healing. Do I suffer from spiritual paralysis? Can I think of something that I want to do, but am not able to take the plunge?

Blessings,

Luis+