SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B
(Is 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25; 2 Cor 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12)

Theme: We have to become the bearers of God’s pardon and grace to our brethren

Reflection

- In this seventh Sunday of the Liturgical Year, the Church invites us through its proclamation of the word to become ourselves God’s pardon and goodness to those who contact us. It is the Christian vocation of all those who choose to follow Jesus and his footsteps. Thus, it is our mission too. There are in us and around us many people who are discouraged with the difficulties of life, those who are paralyzed with the incapacities and failures, those who are not able to move forward with their pathetic situations of depression and desperation. Our mission is to carry them to the presence of God as the four people who have carried the paralytic to Jesus and we are to become ourselves God’s good news of love and forgiveness so that who meet us may find in us the same consolation of Jesus. This is the call that the Church makes to us today.
- Last Sunday we have mediated on the extending of our arms to those who are in need. We have seen that extending is to arrive to the very heart of the person and touch him in the profundity of the person so that the person feels important, loved and cared which will makes him really valuable and livable. It was this type of extending of the hand that Jesus has done to the leper in the last week’s gospel. When Jesus said ‘Yes, I do want’ and did the act of ‘embracing’ him, the leper became a person of proclamation of God’s wonderful presence among the people. He has become also for us a model ‘to announce to all the good deeds that God did and is doing for us’. And like Jesus we have to touch the reality and inner core of the person who is in need of our help.
- Chain of wonderful deeds: It continues. Jesus continues working great deeds among his people. It is not the first time today and it would not be the last time too. From the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, gospel of our interest for this year, we see the fragrance and power of Jesus’ word and deed. Without giving any importance to personal rest and without wasting even a single moment, Jesus initiates his ‘true mission’ of making people anew with his proclamation and with his wonder working. It is not more for proving his divinity but to lead people into real faith and love of God which will transform them to be the worthy children of God and in fact for this alone that Jesus has come. One by one we have reflected in the weeks passed that Jesus was always available for the needs of the people who are helpless, possessed by demons, attacked by the various diseases. He contacted them with compassion. He touched them with love. He made them well again. This is the vocation that God sent him to do in the world: to renew all their integrity and to restore all to their original relationship with God.
- God who renews: Indeed, our God is God who is always in movement towards his people. He never abandons his people. He never leaves us to the hands of sin and slavery. God’s ever and continuous will is to make his people ‘new creatures’ who finally ‘find their refuge under his wings of love’. This is what we see in the first reading and also in the Gospel. God renews his people by ‘pardoning’ their sins and by ‘donating’ his own life to them.
- Sin is the paralysis: sin is a voluntary thought, word and deed against God’s will of love. God willed that man remains always ‘integral’ / with fullness of divine love and it is for this purpose that He has created him ‘in his image and likeness’. By sinning man falls aback from this ‘divine life’ and loses his totality of the person. In sin man is no more ‘the image of God’. Sin makes him disfigured. Sin makes him ‘unmoved’ towards the loving invitation of God.
o In a word, sin makes man ‘paralyzed’ who cannot anymore move by himself because he is in the clutches of sin and its effects of depression, discouragement and diversion. Man who is in sin is paralyzed, is paralyzed in the interior life and in to some extent also in the exterior life. The sin makes our movements, our rapport with others hindered and thus we become almost ‘exiled’ from the community.
o Man is paralyzed in faith because in sin he is not able to come to the presence of God to listen to him and thus grow in his spiritual life.
o Man is paralyzed in life because in sin he goes to do what we wants and what the world offers to him – which is often seeming to be more colorful and attractive than the word and deed of God in the Church – and becomes numb (without any mobility in the body) to the true life which is fully realized only in Christ.
o Man is paralyzed in the Christian testimony because in sin he becomes helpless and incapable and thus neglecting his Christian task and mission.
o The world – we ourselves – has become paralyzed and immobile by sin and its consequences. It is in need of restoration and renovation. It needs someone who will bring it to God. That someone for us and for the world is Jesus Christ. God promises to renew all things by the forgiveness of sin which will be accomplished by the death and the resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
o Therefore, both sin and paralysis fall into the same reality in which man often finds himself and hopes for someone to carry him to the Great Healer, God in Jesus and in Spirit.
- ‘Renew us, Lord, with your pardon’: This is the responsorial psalm we have today. Thus renewal can be realized only through God’s forgiveness. And the restoration becomes possible only through God’s work of salvation in Jesus. We become renewed in Jesus and in Spirit here in the presence of God through the Word proclaimed and the Bread shared.

First Reading
I make everything anew

- ‘If you Lord count our sins who can survive’: is the lamentation of the Psalmist. God promises that he would not remember anymore our sins. It is the promised made to the people of Israel who are in the slavery of Babylon. In fact, the cause for the slavery is the sinful deeds of the people. God has allowed them to be defeated and to be carried into the deportation of Babylon because they have not listened to his voice and they have not followed his commands. Other way round could be also true. It is not God who has allowed them to be slaves but it is their own sinfulness because in sin they have become ‘deaf and dumb’ to God’s will by leaving themselves to be take away as captives. Indeed, in this sense, they have become paralyzed.
o Because they are not in the state of ‘noticing’ what is happening: v.19; they have lost the capacity to observe and to recognize what God does amidst them; so they have become ‘paralyzed’ in their mind.
o Because they are not in the state of ‘singing’ the glory of God: v.21; they have lost the spiritual readiness to be always at the disposition of praising God; they have forgotten to celebrated the hymn of God; so they have become paralyzed in their spirit.
o Because they are in the state of ‘honoring’ God: vv.22 and 24; they have tested God so much that God is tired of them; they have annoyed God with their iniquities; so they have become ‘paralyzed’ in their heart.
- ‘We are the new sprout’: God did not leave the people in their pain and suffering of Babylon, but has promised to bring them out so that they could become ‘new creatures’ of obedience and love to him. This is the promise of God to these people of deportation and to these people of sinfulness, as we find it in today’s first reading: “Here, I will make everything new….I will cancel your misdeeds because of my love and I will not remember anymore your sins” (Is 43: 18-25).
o The strange that only God can do is this: for God our past and the evil we have done are not important. For him only one thing comes into account: love. If we, realizing our being paralyzed by sin, come to him asking for pardon and mercy He is always ready to show his love. He will purify us and make us ‘new possession’ for himself. He will make us ‘to sprout again’ as a new being (v. 25) and we will be able to live again, we will be able to move again as though nothing has happened and as though we are freed from the paralysis of sin and burden.
o This newness of life (or renewal of life) has come to us in the Baptism in which our old nature of sin is immersed into the death of Jesus and thus we become part of the ‘new life’ in the Risen Christ; thus, we, who are paralyzed by sin, can see something new happening in life: life in the Spirit. Every time when we participate in the sacrament, especially in the Reconciliation and in the Eucharist, we return to God with new vigor and new spirit and thus share in the banquet of the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ (Jn 1:29).

Second Reading
‘Yes’ of Jesus to God’s will is the highest point of his mediation between God and us

- St. Paul reminds us that in Jesus all the plans of God have become ‘realized’. Jesus has said ‘Amen’ to his Father and continued to be his ‘medium of yes’ all through his life. It is this which has made him our mediator between God who demands from us ‘our consent of amen’ and we who struggle to choose between of ‘no’ and ‘yes’. But in Christ we have to always say ‘Amen’ so that through him we raise up our praise to God. There was no confusion in Jesus and he never struggled between ‘yes’ and ‘no’. His answer was always ‘yes’.
- The second letter to the Corinthians opens a portrait between Christ and his true disciple; they both are linked with one small word: ‘yes’ – or – ‘Amen’. The ‘Yes’ of Jesus is complete and perfect:
o ‘Yes’: because in Christ the announcement of the liberty and forgiveness of the prophets has been actualized.
o ‘Yes’: because in Him reaching to the Father was total and without crack or rift.
o In this way, following the example of Christ, the believer has to be the man of ‘yes’ in the pardon, in the testimony and in the faith. Above all, the faith is the ‘great amen’ we can elevate to God.


Gospel
Jesus is God’s Forgiveness and Newness to the world

- The marvelous deeds of Jesus, on the one hand create confusion in the authorities and, on the other hand create faith in the simple people: general understanding of today’s gospel:
o We see in today’s gospel passage three significant elements:
o One – the Action of Jesus: Jesus’ daily mission continues. He keeps himself occupied with the will of his Father. As the part of it he makes always available to the people around him who indeed need him. His preaching of the good news of God’s love and his miracles of the renewing man in his wholeness of human nature is his daily food and drink. He says that his food is to do the will of His Father. Therefore, Jesus is always in action and in movement. Here too we see this same intervention of Jesus for the people. He preaches to the people and in the same time when the paralytic is brought to him he heals him totally – both in the body and in the spirit – in fact, first he heals him spiritually by forgiving his sin which is the cause of losing of human integrity and then, he heals also physically by ordering him to get up and walk.
o Second – the Negative Reaction of the Scribes: there were two kinds of people present when Jesus has done his action of word and miracle: Scribes and the ordinary people. The reaction of the Scribes, who were supposed to be the law holders, could not understand what Jesus was doing. They have gone little more further in considering him as a blasphemer because he is doing ‘that which is’ only God’s: forgiving the sins. They wanted that Jesus heals him in the normal way as he has done few times before: he ordered the demon to get out of the possessed one (Mk 1:25 – “Be silent, and come out of him!”), he took by hand Simon’s mother-in-law and healed her (Mk 1:31 – “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up”), he healed even a leper by just extending hand to him (Mk 1:41 – “I do choose. Be made clean”). But here Jesus enters little more deeply into the working of the miracle. It is not just to heal him physically but to heal him totally. That’s why he peeps into the person and says “your sins are forgiven. Get up and walk”. Exactly these words of Jesus have raised curiosity and confusion in them. They could not digest and accept what Jesus is intending to do. Therefore, they have completely rejected him and his action as the blasphemy: an action against God.
o Third – the Positive Reaction of the ordinary people: Jesus did not mind so much what the Scribes have done as though he already thought of it before. His whole concern is to make this paralytic to have a new life – life of movement, life of faith and the life of spirit. That’s why he rebukes all the malicious thoughts of the scribes and does what he wants to do. He heals the paralytic. Here is the reaction of the common people who could see with their naked eyes (v.12 – “he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them”) and praise God for the ‘marvelous and never unseen things’ he fulfilled through Jesus. This is the positive response and open attitude of the ordinary people to Jesus’ words and actions. This tension is always found in the gospels: the authority rejects and condemns him, but the common folk accepts and believe in him.
- Jesus has come to ‘set right’ and ‘save’ what is lost and dispersed. He has come to renew all things and to restore them back to God - particular understanding of the gospel:
o Knowing that Jesus was there in the house many people gathered round him (v.2): the presence of Jesus is like a fragrance; it reaches to everyone and attracts everyone to him; this is what happened in the verse; they came to know that Jesus has come and is at one particular house and immediately they have come to see and listen to him; purpose may differ; some might have come to see him; some out of curiosity; some for receiving some help; but all the same when the news is spread that Jesus was there, the folk has flocked to him.
 In the same way: our knowledge and acknowledge of him does not keep us inactive; it makes us move towards him; it drags us to his presence; it is so powerful reality that we cannot but reach him immediately leaving our occupations and preoccupations; if only we know him and acknowledge him we always gather around him.
o Although there was lot of people and no space for entering into house, the four helpers somehow made the paralytic present to Jesus (vv. 3-4): if only one has the interest and persistence in the will he can somehow find the solution; four people have carried the paralytic on the bed; they really wanted to ‘place him’ before Jesus; they found the great gathering; they thought that it would not be so easy to enter into the house; but they did not give up their desire of presenting the paralytic to Jesus; they have finally made a space from the roof and let the paralytic down before Jesus.
 In the same way: if we have the desire to present ourselves in front of Jesus, our Master, we always have the possibility; though it seems to be little difficult in the beginning we can finally make it if only we have persistence in our trial; we should never give up our coming to Jesus by finding many excuses: ‘there are lot of people’, ‘the house is filled with different mentalities’, ‘oh! There is no possibility now, I will come later’. We may have many reasons to escape from the presence of Jesus; but on the other hand, the possibility of meeting him is always open; nothing will hinder us if only we desire to be with him; we will continue to search for the various way to present ourselves before him because of the same ‘ever growing desire’ we have for him. Let us not lose hope and the hope will make us find a solution and finally ‘we will be with him’.
o A good gesture of the four people who have helped the paralytic who cannot walk or move by himself (v.6): there are always people around us who are trying to help us; we have to be aware of them and accept their help; here we have four people who have extended their help this helpless paralytic; Jesus has not seen their action/gesture alone; he has gone in profundity to see their ‘faith’. A help anybody can do; but helping even in the midst of difficult moments and embarrassing situations such as ‘opening the top of the house’ of the gospel passage which is abnormal and unacceptable, is the true faith. These four people have manifested this authentic faith in their gesture of help.
 In the same way: if we have faith anything will be possible; faith is the hoping constantly even in the moments of darkness and of despair. This is what we read in the book of Hebrews: “Now faith is the assurance of thing hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). Jesus also assures us that it is our faith alone that saves us. Indeed the faith of others too will help us find solution as we have seen in the gospel. It is this faith of theirs that made Jesus to ‘heal’ the paralytic both spiritually (in faith) and physically (in health). We are demanded today to manifest this kind of faith: unwavering and committed faith which makes us still hope in God amidst the worldly things which seems to be grab us to condemnation.
o The interaction between Jesus and Scribes which started with the intention, continued in their words and finally culminated in the healing (vv. 6-9): Jesus knowing what the scribes are thinking in the mind confronts him with the question of what is easier to do: ‘forgiving the sins’ or ‘healing the paralytic’. He can simply heal the man and sent him home. He did not choose the short cut. He opted to restore him to the faith and to the life of God than just healing him. But the Scribes were not in the position to comprehend Jesus and his words and his actions; it is not that they are not capable; in fact, the Scribes were the law-givers and thus they are intelligent enough to read through the law of Moses and they can very easily bring out the reasonable logic from what Jesus has done; the result is that Jesus become a blasphemer for them; they have given more importance to their thinking and reasoning than ‘believing and accepting the fulfillment of the promise which God made them of renewing all things in the Messiah’. In a word, they have won their position with the mind but in their heart they have lost the possibility of ‘seeing God amidst them’.
 In the same way: in every society and in every situation there will be many people who negate and misunderstand a good word said and a good action done; it is always there and it is always possible; it is normal in any given community; like the Scribes, who think only with their mind, there are many people who produce the logic and reason behind every action; it is very good; it is a good gesture that can be very well welcomed; BUT it is not enough; some words and actions go beyond the simple reason; they cross the logical observation; they can be understood only in the faith; they can be fully comprehended only with the purity of heart; that’s what we have to learn today: let us not leave ourselves won by our mind and logic alone but above all, let us leave ourselves won by our heart and faith; in the reasoning we lose the possibility of God’s presence and power in and around us but in the heart we find the spirit of God working in us that produces in us total trust and confidence in every word we utter and in every action we perform; we are the people of the pure heart (“Blessed are the pure in spirit for there is the kingdom of God”) because FOR THE MIND THERE IS A LIMIT BUT FOR THE HEART THERE IS NO CONFINE. TO IT EVERYTHIGN IS OPEN.
o The power of the word of Jesus that made the paralytic walk and the power of the action of Jesus that made the people to praise God (vv.10-12): ‘we have never seen such things before’ is the marvelous moment that the people around Jesus have experienced. With Jesus everything is marvelous. With Jesus everything is surprising. With Jesus everything is new. With Jesus everything is possible. With Jesus we can raise up our praise and glory to God (second reading).
 In the same way: we have to notice well what God fulfills in front of us and give glory to God; our life has to become life of a hymn (first reading: they will sing again); our life has to become life of amen (second reading: in Jesus our answer is always amen that is raised up to God); our life has to become life of praise (gospel: they have praised God).

Conclusion
We are the bearers of God’s pardon and forgiveness to the people around us

- Let us become bearers of the paralyzed like that of four people:
o Four people signifies a community: they have helped the paralyzed and led him to Jesus and to his powerful healing; they have acted as a ‘good community’ of believers and because of their faith that Jesus has worked this miracle; if they were not there, if their help were not to be there, may be the paralytic would have missed the possibility of experiences Jesus, his graceful action and the restoration of totality of life.
o We are also to act as the community besides ‘fulfilling our individual vocation’: we have in us and around us many people paralyzed with the discouragement and depression. There are people who are paralyzed in faith with many doubts about God, about Jesus’ humanity, about the reality of the Church and so on; we have to teach them to accept not with the mind and reasoning but with the heart and the faith; we have the responsibility of bringing them to presence of Jesus so that they would experience the interaction with Him and the healing of Him and thus they become ‘new creatures’ filled with the joy and love of the Lord; for this first of we need to have faith and we need to be in movement.
- We have to place ourselves in the double movement:
o First, after receiving from God, we carry to our brethren the peace and the grace of God - our movement towards them: the reality of the testimony of life.
o Second, we carry our brethren to the experience of God’s peace and grace in his presence in the Church and in the community – their movement towards God: the result of the testimony of life.
o In a word, as we have already highlighted in the theme, We Have to Become the Bearers of God’s Pardon and grace to our Brethren.