Commentary of the Gospell

December 5, 2022

Easier Said Than Done

Honestly speaking, I find it easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” than say, “get up and walk.” Imagine this: Someone pours his heart out to me about his struggles in life. I listen to him and say, “I will pray for you.” Of course, pray I must, first and foremost; but I must confess that it is far more “convenient” to assure him of my prayers than do something about helping him “get up and walk.” In other words, I must pray for him as well as become the answer to his prayer, to the best of my ability. Just as Jesus did – he not only forgave the sins of the paralytic, but healed his body as well. Here is an advent challenge from St. James: “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (2:15-16).

Paulson Veliyannoor, CMF - Claretian Publications Philippines