2nd Sunday of Lent Fr Michael Margitich 2015

I greet you, dear brethren, on this second Sunday

of the school of repentance. And I do so with

those compassionate words that Christ used when

he healed a paralytic. He said to that unfortunate

individual, My son, your sins are forgiven. Today's

Gospel reading offers us a beautiful illustration

of what it means to use the power of faith. In

this particular passage, the power of faith was

demonstrated to this extent that it raised the

roof of a house in order for God's blessings

to descend upon a hopeless individual. Now in

the second chapter of Mark, the evangelist tells

us that on one occasion, when Christ was preaching

in a house in Capernaum, four men came to that

place in order to bring their invalid friend,

to meet Christ and to ask him, would you heal

my friend? There's nothing greater in this world

than to bring a friend to meet Christ. What a

blessing it is. When they came to the place where

Christ was preaching, They were astounded by

the number of people who surrounded the house.

But they were not to be discouraged. What they

did was rather novel, if not very unconventional.

Since they could not get to the doorway of the

house, their faith gave them additional insight.

So what they did was to raise their paralytic

friend onto the flat roof of the house, dug through

the loose tiles that were there, made an opening

large enough so they could Let down their friend

through the roof. And right before the feet of

Christ. Now that does not take much to visualize.

The amazement of the people. And I'm sure that

the New Testament doesn't tell us. But I'm sure

Christ himself. Smile when he saw that. Here

four men. Who were so concerned. About their

friend. That they made every effort. To bring

him to Christ. And it's interesting. The conversation

that. Resulted between the scribes. Who saw this.

And our Lord. But because there are. Other aspects

of this story. This part of the sermon. Will

be delivered. On another occasion. What Christ.

Saw. Was not what many others saw. Oh, they saw

the rather strong faith and conviction of these

four individuals. I'm sure they were impressed.

One of the ushers, please bring a chair. Now

the evangelist Mark tells us of Jesus' reaction

and the place where all of this happened. First

of all, Jesus saw the devotion and persistence

of these men to bring, again I repeat, to bring

a friend to Christ. But this was a special situation.

This was an individual totally incapable of moving

any of his arms or his legs. They did this because

they believed. They believed that Christ had

the power to heal. And what did Christ do? And

this is a little bit strange. Our Lord being

divine, and as St. Paul said, having the gift

of wisdom and the power of God, saw in the paralytic

something more tragic than his physical illness.

Something more tragic. He saw this helpless individual

as a result of the consequences and of torment

of what sin can do to a body. Not all sin, of

course, results. In a body being sick. But in

this particular case, Christ knew by divine instinct

that the greater tragedy that this lad was suffering

from was guilt and sin. Sickness took over. The

point of this miracle, as all miracles in the

New Testament, is not only what Jesus did then,

but what Jesus still continues to do now through

the church, through the sacrament of confession.

To those... Who are paralyzed. With guilt and

sin. Know this. That the Lord is compassionate.

And is concerned about you and me. And what did

he say to the paralytic? His first statement

was this. My son, your sins are forgiven. Not

that you are healed, but your sins are forgiven

because they are forgiven. You're healed. We

hear those words. Those words still ring out

in the church. When the priest in the prayer

of absolution says that prayer to the power given

unto me like given unto Nathan who forgave David

for his dreadful sins. Your sins are forgiven.

Go in peace. You recall after the Vespers of

Forgiveness last Sunday. We heard these words.

And the choir sang them with such joy and reverence.

This is the acceptable time. The time of repentance

is here. You know, my dear brethren, spiritually

speaking, we are all situated by the waters of

Babylon. Meaning this, we all are in a spiritual

and physical predicament. We are in a place of

lostness as we heard on the first Sunday when

the church remembered how Adam and Eve were exiled

from paradise because of sin. We are all in sorrow.

And in the words of St. Paul, we have all sinned

and fall short. Of the glory of God. Now to be

estranged. From God. And his teachings. Invariably

lead. To spiritual darkness. To sin. And yes.

Sometimes. To sickness. To those who feel they

have no reason to confess their sins. To those

who maintain that they could go directly to God

to confess their sins and they don't need a bishop

or priest. To the religious drifters who hide

behind the scene of pride and self -sufficiency,

know that there is solid spiritual evidence plus

2 ,000 years of the Church's teachings and tradition

plus the writings And witness of thousands of

saints. That the sacrament of confession or repentance.

Is not optional. But was established by Christ.

For the purpose. For the sole purpose of healing.

And restoring our relationship with Christ. And

the church. And this is said in the longer. Prayer

of absolution. You reconcile to God. You reconcile

to others. And you reconcile yourself. To yourself.

If we say we have no sin. Says the evangelist

John. We deceive ourselves. And the truth is

not in us. Jesus gave his disciples the authority

to sin. Both in the St. Matthew's Gospel and

in St. John's is clear. If you forgive sins,

our Lord said to the apostles, sins are forgiven

of any. But if you retain them, They are retained.

But he also said this. At the beginning. Of his

ministry. The first sermon. That he gave. Was

quoting. Saint John the Baptist. Repent. For

the kingdom of God is at hand. That was his first

sermon. And throughout. The core. Of his ministry.

Jesus continually emphasized that the time is

here. The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom

of God is here. What a beautiful thought. Repentance

and remission of sins, said Christ, should be

preached. And that's what the church has been

doing for 2 ,000 years. Glory be to him who has

come to save, to heal us, and to restore us to

the joy of the kingdom of God.