Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Where Healing Matters Most

In today’s Gospel from the Gospel of Gospel of Matthew, there is something striking. A paralyzed man is brought before Jesus. Everyone standing there can see the problem. The man cannot walk. And if we had been there, we probably would have expected Jesus to say immediately, “Get up and walk.” But He does not. Instead, He says, “Courage, child… your sins are forgiven.”

I think that surprises us. Why begin there? Because Jesus understands something we often forget. The deepest problem is not always the most visible one.

Over the years, one thing I have noticed when people come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is that many times people confess the end result of sin, but not always the sin itself. Someone says, “I lost my temper.” But perhaps underneath that anger there has been pride, impatience, or resentment that has been building for a long time. Someone else says, “I have been speaking badly about others.” But underneath that may be jealousy, bitterness, or a refusal to forgive.

We often focus on what can be seen. God looks deeper.

That is exactly what Jesus is doing in this Gospel. Everyone saw a man who could not walk. Jesus saw something deeper that needed healing first.

Sometimes we come to God asking Him to fix what is happening around us. Take away this problem. Heal this illness. Solve this family struggle. And the Lord says, Before I address what everyone else can see, let Me heal what is happening within you.

Then Jesus heals the man physically, not only to restore his body, but to show everyone standing there that He has authority over something even greater. Not simply the healing of the body, but the forgiveness of sins.

Maybe today the Gospel invites us to ask ourselves: Am I only bringing God the symptoms of my struggles, or am I allowing Him to touch the deeper cause?

Because sometimes the Lord is not beginning where we want Him to begin.

He begins where healing matters most.