Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 5; Our Lady of Perpetual Help; our Holy Father Andrew the Jerusalemite, Archbishop of Crete (740); Venerable Martha, Mother of the Holy Simeon of the “Mountain of Wonders”
Romans 12:6-14; Hebrews 9:1-7; Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 10:38-42;11:27-28
Read Matthew 9:1-8
When Jesus saw their faith… (9:2)
How can you see faith? The answer: by seeing faith in action. This little passage is quite Catholic and not very Protestant. It reminds us that faith is manifested by works. It reminds us that faith can be something visible. It reminds us of that famous passage in the Epistle of St James: “Faith without works is dead.”
What is also quite interesting in this episode is that Jesus sees the faith of four men who help a fifth one get to Jesus. We know from the other Gospels that the four bring the paralytic, the fifth one, through the roof. They don’t say anything. They just bring him. The paralytic just lies there. Jesus helps the fifth man because he sees the faith of the four. This story teaches us about the power of intercessory prayer, in this case, a prayer of action.