Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Ruslan Babii on the Second Sunday of the Great Lent
February 24, 2024
Jesus Christ wants us to be healed from every paralysis, from every blindness, from the smallest stain of sin in our souls, so that we can look at Him face-to-face, not in shame but in indescribable joy.
As the Lord Jesus Christ knew what the Pharisees and Sadducees were thinking in their hearts, “How can this man forgive sins? This is blasphemy”; so does our inside with all thoughts, desires, circumstances, needs, pains, experiences…
Then the Lord said something rather unusual to the Pharisees, which we should pay attention to. On the one hand, it seems simple, but on the other hand, it has a deep meaning. Jesus asked, “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Take up your pallet and walk?’” It is easy to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or something like that which we cannot see, what is inside, but if you say, “Take up your pallet and walk,” well, the man had better get up and go, otherwise Jesus Christ would be considered a charlatan. This is quite obvious, but there is also a deeper meaning here, which is not obvious, and you need to think about it. The Lord raised the man from his bed; he got up and went. Jesus did it! Probably to show that He really has power as God. He can heal the body of the paralysed; He can restore sight to the blind from birth; He can make the deaf hear; and He can raise the dead. These are important things that we see with our own eyes. The Lord performed this miracle because of our weakness, to confirm our faith, and so that we understand that the main thing in this event is not physical healing but spiritual healing, given to us through the forgiveness of sins. We cannot see this forgiveness of our sins, as we see miracles of healing. This is not something that you can provide evidence of immediately; only with time, thanks to the action of God’s grace, we can experience a change, if it happens at all. Therefore, the Lord said, “What is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Take up your pallet and walk?’ He tried to prove to us, ‘I can do both.’ Yes, I can say ‘your sins are forgiven,’ and this is not obvious, but I can also raise a paralysed person, and this is an obvious fact.
Through the gift of forgiveness of sins, we enter into the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who conquered death itself. Therefore, Christians should not feel defeated by anything in their lives. Because the resurrection that came at the moment of forgiveness is the true life that Christ gives in full. This is not about having our own views on the world and our thoughts, but about us as Christians completely trusting Him in everything that happens in our lives. The one who truly believes in the resurrection applies it with all its consequences to himself and the circumstances of his life.
If Jesus Christ can heal a paralysed man, which he certainly can, then everything else he says must be true. Not only that He will raise the dead at the end of the age, but that He is now making us alive. The kingdom of God is within you now, at this very moment. This is the meaning of a person being healed from his sins, from his spiritual paralysis, from his bodily ailments and stresses, and from his worldly passions. We must strive to become like Jesus in order to know and imitate Him, discovering God’s love for ourselves in Him.
That is why we must listen, because we, obedient to the will of the heavenly Father, like Him, are called to cooperate with Christ for the salvation of many… This is how we spread love in this world, looking to Him. Jesus Christ wants us to be healed from every paralysis, from every blindness, from the smallest stain of sin in our souls, so that we can look at Him face-to-face, not in shame but in indescribable joy. This is how He wants us to know Him. And the only way to know Him in this way is to try to become like Him. This is why we work—for virtue.
May the Lord give us the strength to work hard and fight diligently until the end of this Great Lent, so that when we come to Easter, the Lord will touch us in such a special, indescribable way that we cannot even imagine and understand, and strengthen us in the joy of the Resurrection and eternal life. Let it be so! And may God help us. Amen.
