Daily Gospel Reflection for July 4, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Matthew 9:1-8

Today we see Jesus performing another miracle: He cures a paralytic. He does that in two parts: first, seeing the faith of the ones that brought the paralytic to Him, He tells him that his sins are forgiven. These words were very shocking to the scribes because only God can forgive sins, and Jesus, for them, was just a man. So, they thought He was blaspheming.

Then Jesus, to prove He was really God and had the power not only to forgive sins and restore the integrity of the soul but also to heal the body, cured the paralytic, who was able to walk home. Everybody was amazed and glorified God for that.

This miracle has something very important to tell us, people from the 21st century: sin paralyzes us! When we commit a sin (especially if it is a mortal sin), we break the covenant that we have with God since our Baptism, and we put a chain in our soul that makes us slaves of our disordered desires. And that chain prevents us from freely walking in the path that will lead us to eternal happiness in heaven.

Fortunately, Jesus, in his infinite mercy, left us the sacrament of Reconciliation, where we can break that chain and be cured from the paralysis that it causes. We should go to this fountain of mercy as often as possible, because even small sins and imperfections can gradually make our soul paralyzed. Besides the great gift of restoring the sanctifying grace in our soul, confession grants us the healing grace that helps us not to fall into sin again (at least not so often). Jesus is in the confessional, disguised as the priest, to pour all His love in our souls. Let´s make the most of it!

Ponder:

What kind of sin or imperfection is paralyzing my life, my growth in faith, my becoming what God created me to be?

Pray:

Dear Lord, help me remove all obstacles to Your grace in my life. Help me fight my imperfections, my “favorite” sins, so I can be the person You want me to be.

Daily Gospel 2