Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament

January 16, 2026

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Rise, pick up your mat and walk?”

There are many similar stories in the gospels. The pattern is somewhat the same. Jesus does something amazing, and people find a reason to find fault with it. In this case, after Jesus forgives a person’s sins while curing him of his paralysis, he is accused of blasphemy. Jesus knows what they are thinking, hence his question to them.

Jesus was in a house in Capernaum, preaching the word of God. A paralyzed man wanted to get to Jesus, but he was utterly dependent on others to carry him to Jesus. Fortunately, he had good friends who were determined to do for him what he could not do for himself. Such was their determination that they created an opening in the roof of the house where Jesus was preaching so as to lower their friend in front of Jesus. The gospel reading shows that Jesus saw their efforts not as an unwelcome disturbance but as a powerful act of faith. “Seeing their faith,” Jesus forgave the man’s sins.

It was the faith of his friends that allowed this man to meet Jesus personally and to hear Jesus’ liberating word to him. Even before his physical healing, the paralytic needed reassurance that God loved him unconditionally and had forgiven his sins. It was his friends who made it possible for him to hear this liberating word from God. Each of us has a role to play in helping others hear God’s life-giving word, spoken to us through his Son, who is with us until the end of time.

Whom have I brought to Jesus by my own faith in him?

Let Us Pray:

O Jesus, deepen my faith in you, in your ability to heal, and to forgive my sins. Let my life be one lived in gratitude for your countless blessings.