Homily Notes: 09-26-2021

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September 26th, 2021
*FL

    In this Gospel, we witness Our Lord being approached by a few men, one of whom is sick with paralysis. Our Lord, seeing their faith, contents Himself to say that this man’s sins are forgiven.


    What is notably absent is that he does not immediately heal this man of his physical problem. It appears that the only reason He healed him physically was because of the scribes accusing him in their thoughts of blaspheming. It is notable that the man was not disappointed by not being physically healed. Was he complaining? No, he seems content to hear that his sins are forgive. This indicates that this is what he wanted, to be made right with God through Jesus, more than he wanted to be able to walk. 


    The lesson for us is that if we are right with God, in the state of grace, then we truly have all that our heart can desire. It is nothing more than to be a friend of Almighty God, to be a companion with Our Lord Jesus Christ, that is sufficient for our happiness. Even if we are deprived of wealth and reputation, so long as we have Jesus Christ, we have all that a man can desire, in truth.  The loss of all things is nothing so long as we possess Jesus Christ.


    Whether sick or in health, whether rich or poor, if we have Jesus, we are truly rich in the eyes of God. If we are deeply convinced of this reality, then for us it is a matter of relative indifference if we have good things in life or not. We are not terribly cast down if we happen to lose things because our heart — our richness — is always present, so long as we have not seriously sinned against God.


    Having given us his own son, how has God not given us all things? Indeed, every created thing, no matter how beautiful and how excellent, is nothing but a pale reflection of God, showing us as in a mirror some of His perfections. And why be satisfied with the imitation when you can have the real thing?


    St. Francis would pray, “My God and my All.” He was so immersed in God and had such a lively faith that he could see God in all things and was content to do without material things. The more we are deeply convinced of this, the more peace we will have. Nothing can separate us from God.


    What shall separate us from the love of God? Truly nothing. That’s why this man seems content to be forgiven of his sin — the one obstacle has been taken away.

    Thirst for this spirit, pray with St. Francis: my God and my all. View creatures as they really are: merely means to get to God and to be left behind when we have an assured possession of Him. There will be a moment when you are taken out of this world and will stand before Jesus Christ and his Father. If you practice detachment from things in this world, that moment will be for you one of immeasurable joy. It will be your true birthday to true life. The moment you’ve been waiting for for your entire life. 

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