As for you, your sins are forgiven

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER (Lk 5,17-26)

The forgiveness of sins is the fruit of the great mercy of the true and living God, of the God who is the only Creator and Lord of man. From the first sin, the Lord has always promised and given his forgiveness. However, there are some conditions for the Lord to forgive: acknowledging the evil committed, abandoning the path of transgression of his Law, humbly asking for forgiveness of all guilt and participating in the atonement of the penalty due to the sins committed. At one time it was taught that in order to be confessed according to truth and justice, five conditions were required: examination of conscience, pain of sins, purpose of never committing them again, accusation of sins, satisfaction or penance. With sin, even if sometimes it is committed against man, it is always God the one who is offended, because it is the transgression of his holy Law. Its dimension of transcendence must never be forgotten. Woe making of it only a matter of immanence. Since sin is an offence against God, only God can forgive it.

If it is God the one who gives forgiveness, it is always his minister the who invites to let ourselves be reconciled with him and it is always the minister the one who gives it in the name of the Lord. Both in the invitation to conversion and in the gift of the remission of sin, the Lord’s minister is the necessary way. In the Old Testament this ministry was of the priests. The prophets were the powerful voice calling for conversion and reconciliation. They were also tho ones who announced that the Lord had forgiven his people. First, Natan reveals the horrendous sins committed by David and then announces him forgiveness from the Lord: “Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan answered David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die” (Cf. 2Sam 12,1-14). In the name of his God the prophet frees David from death due to the transgressors of the Law of the Lord, announcing him his forgiveness.

One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set (him) in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”

Jesus is not only the prophet of the living God who announces the forgiveness of sins. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He takes it away atoning it in his body. Not only does he take away sin by vicarious atonement, above all he is the One who gives man the Holy Spirit, pouring him perpetually from his heart. The Spirit makes every man a new creature. As Jesus is the Father’s minister for expiation, forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that man becomes truth and is filled with grace, so the Apostles are Christ’s ministers for atonement, forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. They will do all this by announcing conversion and forgiveness and celebrating both the sacraments of forgiveness, baptism and penance, and also the other sacraments for the abundance of grace so that man becomes the truth of God in the world. By healing the paralytic from his evil, Jesus attests that he is truly sent by God. If he is sent by God, even his Word is the Word of God. It is not the word of man.

Mother of God, Angels, Saints ensure that every man let himself be reconciled with God in Christ.