7th Sunday of Ordinary Time
19th February 2012 (Year B)
This week: First Reading: Isaiah 43:18-19.22-21.24-25, Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Gospel: Mark 2:1-12
"The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."
(Next week: Genesis 9:8-15, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15.)
"Dependent on the care of others, Mark's paralytic is lifted to the roof and lowered precariously before Jesus, who praises the faith of the litter bearers. The symbolism is rich here. The journey toward spiritual and physical healing often begins by support from the faith of others, and involves the courage to let go and be carried by them.
"While paralysis is not a divine punishment, sin can be a form of paralysis, an inability to move. The experience of forgiveness, on the other hand, enables a person to rise up and return home with dignity. Sin is isolation and alienation; forgiveness is homecoming."
Excerpt from a commentary by Fr John Donahue SJ
Reflecting on Lent
"Lent is a time of introspection.
We read Exodus, and watch the
Israelites grumbling, even after
the amazing things God has done
for them (Ex 17:3-7). In them, we
recognise ourselves. For many of
us, then, Lent is time for the
spiritual equivalent of New Year's
resolutions. We set aside to work
on ourselves for forty days so we
don't end up wandering around in
the wilderness for 40 years. We
do things to burn off the excess fat that's weighing us down, try
to improve our spiritual diet, and do some meaningful spiritual
exercises to strengthen the muscles we call 'virtues.'"
From Dr Marcellino d'Ambrosio
