Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 5; the Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers Cosmas and Damian
Read
Romans 12:6-14; Matthew 9:1-8
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Authority. It’s a bad word in our society. Often times when we hear this word we think of oppression or human rights violations. We think of power being abused. Authority played a big role in Gospel times as well, with the Jews living under the oppression of the Romans. Religious authority, and with it the ability to forgive sins, is what the argument in our reading centres around today. Sin was forgiven by God, through the sanctioned Temple sacrificial system. When Jesus says that the man’s sins are forgiven (in Greek the word is more like “being forgiven” not a statement after the fact) He is forgiving the man on the spot! He has come to show us and give us a new type of authority, one which ultimately has conquered death. The connection between forgiveness and Resurrection is continually hinted at in this passage, with the man rising, and taking up his mat. Forgiveness leads to life and freedom.
But it doesn’t stop there. The most amazing thing is picked up by the people who realize that God has “given this power to men.” Through the sacrament of Holy Ordination to the priesthood, God allows His priests to forgive sins in His name and with His authority. God loves us enough not to leave us orphaned but to give us Fathers who He acts through, offering forgiveness, life, and freedom to the world. Do not shy away from the confessional, but take some time to prepare for and participate in this amazing sacrament of God’s love and mercy! Don’t wait until your friends need to carry you there!