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Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
DO YOU
BELIEVE THAT JESUS HAS THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE, HEAL AND RESTORE YOU?
The
sin and evil going on in the world are putting our faith to the test and most
people are giving in to the schemes of devil because they lack the strong will
to withstand the suffering, sickness and problems that befall us as a result of
this evil. People are running ups and down seeking for solutions. while the
evil ones are taking advantage of the situation to destroy the faith of the
people. In fact, one may begin to wonder if there is still hope for the
restoration of humanity from this ugly situation. But the fact remains that God
is able to heal and restore humanity once again.
This
is evident in our Gospel passage today, when some people brought to him a
paralytic stretched out on a bed. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the
paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some scribes
doubted his authority to forgive sins, and Jesus knowing what was in their
minds said: ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of
these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”?
But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins,’ he said to the paralytic, ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off
home.’ And the man got up and went home.
Here,
we see that great faith is not hidden, it radiates from the innermost being of
those who exercise it. Because of love, the friends of the paralytic man were
moved with faith to bring their friend to Christ, they firmly believed that
Jesus Christ could and would heal him. For a strong faith regards no obstacles
in pressing after Christ. It was with humble and active faith that they brought
him to Christ.
Thus,
we can see the power and authority of Jesus towards the restoration of
paralytic man carried by his friends. A gesture that signifies the restoration
of humanity paralyzed by sin. So Jesus began by forgiving our sins. Though sin
seems to be the root of the sickness. But sin may be pardoned, yet the sickness
not be removed; the sickness may be removed, yet the sin not pardoned.
But
for Jesus, healing is holistic for those who have faith in God. And this is
what the scribes and the Pharisees failed to understand as they doubted and
opposed the power and authority of Jesus. But this is not the same with Abraham
in our first reading today, whose faith in God was so strong that he was ready
to sacrifice his only son as requested by the Lord.
Dear
friends, today we are called to have faith in God just like Abraham and the
friends of the paralytic and not to be like the scribes who were enslaved by
their pride and desire to maintain their prestige in the society. They doubted
the power and authority of Jesus and rejected the message of truth. Of which
Jesus rebuked them, showing us that truly he has power and authority not just
to heal and forgive us but to restore us and all humanity back to our formal
glory. Now, you have asked the Lord to help you and he says pick up yourself
and go. But have you moved in faith or still waiting?
Today,
we are called to imitate the great faith and love of the friends of the
paralytic, the love and faith that radiate from the innermost being of those
who exercise it. Let us like them, learn to pick up ourselves and others. Let
us learn to love and help one another. Because the absence of love is the cause
of all the problems in our world today. For most families exist only by grace
because of the absence of love. How I wish we can invest our time and resources
in ensuring love and goodwill in our dealings with one another, believe me, the
world will be a temporal home for everyone.
LET US
PRAY: Lord God, we are paralyzed by the sins and evil we are committing against
you and the world you created, as we come to you in faith, forgive us our sins,
heal and restore us once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Peace be with you.
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