From: Mark 2:1-12

The Curing of a Paralytic

[1] And when [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported
that He was at home. [2] And many were gathered together, so that there was
no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He was preaching the
word to them. [3] And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men.
[4] And when they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they removed
the roof above Him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pal-
let on which the paralytic lay. [5] And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the
paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

[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 ques-
tioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question thus in your
hearts? [9] Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to
say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk?’ [10] But that you may know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”— He said to the paralytic —
[11] “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” [12] And he rose, and
immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were
all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

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Commentary:

4. Many Jewish houses had a terraced roof accessible by steps at the back.
The same structure can be found even today.

5. Here Jesus emphasizes the connection between faith and the forgiveness of
sins. The boldness of the people who brought in the paralytic shows their faith
in Christ, and this faith moves Jesus to forgive the man’s sins. We should ques-
tion how God views our faith: the faith of these people leads to the instantaneous
physical and spiritual curing of this man. We should notice also that one per-
son’s need can be helped by the merits of another.

In this man’s physical paralysis, St. Jerome sees a type or figure of spiritual pa-
ralysis: the cripple was unable to return to God by his own efforts. Jesus, God
and man, cured him of both kinds of paralysis (cf. “Comm. in Marcum, in loc.”).
Cf. notes on Matthew 9:2-7.

Jesus’ words to the paralytic—”Your sins are forgiven”—reflect the fact that his
pardon involves a personal encounter with Christ; the same happens in the
Sacrament of Penance: “In faithfully observing the centuries-old practice of the
Sacrament of Penance—the practice of individual confession with a personal act
of sorrow and an intention to amend and make satisfaction—the Church is defen-
ding the human soul’s individual right, man’s right to a more personal encounter
with the crucified forgiving Christ, with Christ saying, through the minister of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation: ‘Your sins are forgiven’; ‘Go, and do not sin again’
(John 8:11). As is evident, this is also a right on Christ’s part with regard to every
human being in the soul’s life constituted by the moment of conversion and for-
giveness” (John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 20).

7-12. Here we find a number of indicators of Jesus’ divinity: He forgives sins, He
can read the human heart and has the power to instantly cure physical illnesses.
The scribes know that only God can forgive sins. This is why they take issue
with Our Lord’s statement and call it blasphemous. They require a sign to prove
the truth of what He says. And Jesus offers them a sign. Thus just as no one can
deny that the paralytic has been cured, so no one can reasonably deny that he
has been forgiven his sins. Christ, God and man, exercised power to forgive sins
and, in His infinite mercy, He chose to extend this power to His Church. Cf. note
on Matthew 9:3-7.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Mass Readings

First reading	1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22 ©

All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ‘Look,’ they said to him ‘you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. So give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.’ It displeased Samuel that they should say, ‘Let us have a king to rule us’, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’

All that the Lord had said Samuel repeated to the people who were asking him for a king He said, ‘These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his ploughland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his eunuchs and his officials. He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.’

The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, ‘No! We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.’ Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in the ears of the Lord. The Lord then said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and give them a king.’

Psalm	Psalm 88:16-19

Gospel	Mark 2:1-12 ©

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’