The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect with our anxiety over the seeming paralyzation of efforts to bring peace, justice, respect, and love to the world.
In the reading from the Prophet Amos, Amaziah complains to the King.
* [7:14] I am not a prophet: Amos reacts strongly to Amaziah’s attempt to classify him as a “prophet-for-hire” who “earns [his] bread” by giving oracles in exchange for payment (cf. 1 Sm 9:3–10; Mi 3:5). To disassociate himself from this kind of “professional” prophet, Amos rejects outright the title of nabi’ (“prophet”). By profession he is a herdsman/sheepbreeder and a dresser of sycamore trees, but God’s call has commissioned him to prophesy to Israel. (Amos, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus heals a Paralytic.
* [9:8] Who had given such authority to human beings: a significant difference from Mk 2:12 (“They…glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this’”). Matthew’s extension to human beings of the authority to forgive sins points to the belief that such authority was being claimed by Matthew’s church. (Matthew, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
Tom Purcell asks why was it so hard for the crowds pressing around Jesus when He cured someone to rejoice in the great good fortune for the recipient and not press and angle for something for themselves as well?
Is it not a miracle in itself that we are loved by the Divine? Is it not beyond our human experience that God would, at times, step in and change the course of our lives? Is not life itself the most significant and poignant miracle of all? Isn’t the reality of our every single moment a miracle – this breath I just took, the sunrise I saw this morning, the trill of the songbird in my yard, the collective knowledge of humankind that enables me to even communicate these feelings? Doesn’t the miracle of life itself give us great solace that our own lives are meaningful precisely because this Divine Being so loved us as to create us and this world? And so, my prayer today is for the grace to wonder at all the miracles I see around me and to pay homage to the God who loves me so much. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Healing of soul and body,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).
"Now in the narrative of the paralytic a number of people are brought forward for healing. Jesus' words of healing are worthy of reflection. The paralytic is not told, 'Be healed.' He is not told, 'Rise and walk.' But he is told, 'Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven you.' The paralytic is a descendant of the original man, Adam. In one person, Christ, all the sins of Adam are forgiven. In this case the person to be healed is brought forward by ministering angels. In this case, too, he is called a son, because he is God's first work. The sins of his soul are forgiven him, and pardon of the first transgression is granted. We do not believe the paralytic committed any sin [that resulted in his illness], especially since the Lord said elsewhere that blindness from birth had not been contracted from someone's sin or that of his parents" [John 9:1-3]. (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 8.5) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 9:1-8 comments that we hear the words “I absolve you from your sins” in the Prayer of Absolution every time we go to Confession. And we routinely ask for and give forgiveness in our personal relationships. So hearing words of forgiveness might seem more commonplace or “easy.”
It is halfway through the year. How long has it been since you’ve gone to Confession? Your parish probably has times for Confession scheduled this weekend. Come to Jesus in the sacrament and receive the forgiveness and healing that he suffered so greatly to win for you.m“Jesus, thank you for the surpassing value of the healing and mercy that I can receive in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!” (Meditation on Matthew 9:1-8, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Amaziah is concerned that Amos, who is not from Israel, is prophesying and threatening to destabilize the monarchy. A dresser of sycamore trees harvested fruit of the poor that was difficult to obtain. Friar Jude reminds us that a broken heart is more difficult to heal than a broken leg as we seek Divine help for our spiritual paralysis.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that for early Hasidic mystics, learning the Scriptures was important, but encountering God directly within the Scriptures was even more so. Jewish scholar Arthur Green translates from a collection of Hasidic teachings on contemplative prayer. The Christian contemplative tradition also prioritizes transformation over information and a humble stance over certainty.
We need transformed people today, and not just people with answers. As Eugène Ionesco wrote, “Explanation separates us from astonishment . . . ”. [3] I do not want my teachings and my too many words to separate anyone from astonishment or to act as a substitute for inner experience. The marvelous anthology of books and letters called the Bible is all for the sake of astonishment—not “proof” or certainty! It’s for divine transformation (theosis), not intellectual or “small-self” coziness. Ideas are not a problem—but a true inner experience is something else. It changes us, and human beings do not like to change. The biblical revelation invites us into a genuinely new experience. The trouble is that we have made the Bible into a bunch of ideas—about which we can be right or wrong—rather than an invitation to a new set of eyes. [4] (Rohr, n.d.)
We are prompted by the Spirit to live our Baptismal gift of prophecy as we seek to address the needs of people in transformation from paralysis to peace.
References
Amos, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/amos/7?10
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/063022.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/9?1
Meditation on Matthew 9:1-8. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/30/422962/
Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Knowing Less, Loving More. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/knowing-less-loving-more-2022-06-30/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Take Heart - Your Sins Are Forgiven. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun30
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