I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.--Psalm 115:9
Mass readings: Genesis 22:1-19 / Matthew 9:1-8
In today's Gospel, Jesus sees the faith of the paralytic's friends who are carrying him in on a stretcher, and He addresses him in a surprising way: ''Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.'' Only later does He restore the man's ability to walk. First things first, Jesus seems to be saying, spiritual healing before temporal, tackle the eternal before the earthly.
I can relate. For years, I suffered from acute indigestion. When doctors offered no relief, I turned to God who shifted my attention from stomach to heart, revealing long-standing resentments I'd never dealt with and moved me to forgiveness. In the process, the indigestion subsided and eventually disappeared. By addressing sin, possibly the root of my illness, Jesus healed both soul and body.
Prayer: Divine Physician, I give You my entirety, confident of Your concern from the inside out.