Do you have any ailment that you want to be healed of? Present it to God and ask Him for the grace of healing and forgiveness - Daily Reflections July 2,2015

ABOVE ALL, GOD HEALS THE SOUL   The healing of the paralytic and the encounter with the teachers of the law reveal who Jesus is and the relationship between sin and physical sickness. The culture of the Jews (which most cultures, including the Philippines, also adopt) sees some illnesses as connected to the sins of the person or society. For them, sin affects the human body and causes physical ailments. In this Gospel incident, the words of Jesus, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven,” and “Get up, take your mat and go home,” mean the same thing. The accusation of blasphemy is more for His capacity to heal the sickness and forgive the sin that caused it, since they believe only God forgives sins. Because they do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God, their ignorance of the truth moved them to accuse Jesus.          That issue was not settled immediately. Meantime, Jesus is confronted by someone’s need to be healed physically and spiritually. This healing is a sign that would hopefully lead people to believe and understand.          But the more important thing here is the religious message of Jesus. He heals not only the physical but, more importantly, the spiritual. The whole person must be saved, but that can only happen if there is forgiveness. This differentiates Jesus from other healers, both then and now. Physical healers address the physical sickness. Jesus addresses the root of the problem, not only the symptom. In the process, complete healing takes place.          Let us ask for the grace of healing — both physical and spiritual. Definitely, God will heal us spiritually, i.e., forgive our sins when we repent. That is His primary concern. When that happens, we should be thankful. If God wills that the physical sickness it caused will also be healed, thanks again to God. If not, gratitude should also prevail. Remember that when we face God, we present to Him a pure soul, more than a complete and healthy body. Let us pray that the Lord will grant us a healthy life, but beg Him to give us souls worthy of the Kingdom. Fr. Benny Tuazon   REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you have any ailment that you want to be healed of? Present it to God and ask Him for the grace of healing and forgiveness.   Forgive me, Lord, and heal me.