Healing of the Paralytic

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And
behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus
saw their faith he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are
forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man
is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you
think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are
forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son
of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he then said to the
paralytic--"Rise, take up your bed and go home." And he rose and went
home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God,
who had given such authority to men.
(Mat 9:1-8)

And when he returned to Caper'na-um after some days, it was reported

that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there
was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was
preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic
carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of
the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made
an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are
forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their
hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive
sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that
they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you
question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to
forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic-- "I say to you, rise, take up your
pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and
went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God,
saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
(Mar 2:1-12)

On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and

teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee
and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him
to heal. And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was
paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but
finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the
roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before
Jesus. And when he saw their faith he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven
you." And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who
is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?"
When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, "Why do
you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are
forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the
Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the man
who was paralyzed--"I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home."
And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay,
and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they
glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen strange
things today."
(Luk 5:17-26)

1421 The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of
3
the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in
the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own
members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of
Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

Saint Augustine (354-430)

Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Discourse on the Psalms, Ps. 36[37], no. 3, § 3

“Some people came bringing to him a paralytic”

Can we not take up like the paralytic in the Gospel a man whose inner
forces are weakened to the point of being unable to do any good, and
open the roof of the Scripture to him so as to let him down at the
Lord’s feet? You understand, I’m sure, that such a man is a spiritually
paralyzed man. And I see this roof (of the Scriptures) and know that
Christ is concealed beneath this roof. So I’m going to do, so far as I
can, what the Lord approved in those who uncovered the roof of that
house and let down the paralytic at his feet. Effectively, the Lord said
to him: “My son, take courage! Your sins are forgiven”. And Jesus
healed that man's inner paralysis, forgiving his sins and strengthening
his faith. But there were certain people there whose eyes were
incapable of seeing the healing of the inner paralysis. They took to be
a blasphemer the doctor who had effected it. “Who is this man, they
said, who forgives sins?” “He commits blasphemy! Who can forgive
sins except God alone?” But since this doctor was God, he understood
the thoughts of their hearts. They believed God really had this power
but were unable to see God present in front of them. Therefore this
doctor also acts on the body of the paralytic, to heal the inner
paralysis of those who talked in this way. He does something they can
see so that they may also believe. Therefore take courage, you whose
hearts are weak, you who are sick to the point of being incapable of
any good faced with all what happens in the world. Courage you who
are interiorly paralyzed! Let us open up the roof of the Scriptures
together and let ourselves down at the Lord’s feet.

Saint John Damascene (c.675-749)

monk, theologian, Doctor of the Church
Homily on the Nativity of the Virgin, § 9 ; SC 80

"Hail, full of grace!"

This woman will be the Mother of God, the door to light, source of
life; she will reduce to oblivion the judgement that weighed on Eve.
“The rich among the people seek the face” of this woman, “the kings
of the nations shall pay her homage”, they shall “offer gifts”..., yet the
glory of the Mother of God is an interior glory: the fruit of her womb.
O woman, so worthy of love, thrice happy, “blessed are you among
women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Daughter of David the
king and Mother of God, King of the universe, masterpiece in whom
the Creator rejoices...: you are to be nature's full achievement. For you
life is not yours; you were not born for yourself alone; but your life is
to be God's. You came into the world for him, you will serve for the
salvation of all people, fulfilling God's design established from the
beginning: the incarnation of the Word and our own divinization.
Your whole desire is to feed on the words of God, to be strengthened
by their sap, like “a green olive tree in the house of God”, “like a tree
planted by running water”, you are the “tree of life” who “yielded its
fruit in due season”... He who is infinite, limitless, came to dwell in
your womb; God, the child Jesus, was nourished by your milk. You
are the ever virginal doorway of God; your hands hold your God;
your lap is a throne raised up above the cherubim... You are the
wedding chamber of the Spirit, the “city of the living God, gladdened
by the runlets of the stream”, that is to say the waves of the Spirit's
gifts. You are “all fair, the Beloved” of God. ( Biblical references : Ps
44[45],13; 71[72],11.10; Mt 2,11; Lk 1,42; Is 62,5; Ps 51[52],10; 1,3;
cf Gn 2,9, Rv 22,2; cf Ez 44,2; Ps 79[80],2; cf Sg 1,4; Ps 45[46],5; Sg
4,7)

Saint Caesarius of Arles (470-543)

monk and Bishop
Sermon 25, 1 ; CCL 103, 111-112  (trans. cf Breviary Week 17, Monday)

"When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them"
“Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5,7). Sweet
is the name of mercy, dearest brethren; and if the name is sweet, how
much sweeter is the quality itself?... Since we all wish for mercy, let
us make her our patroness in this age that she may free us in the
future. For there is mercy in heaven and we attain it through the acts
of mercy that we perform on earth. This is what scripture says: “O
Lord, your mercy is in heaven” (Ps 35,6 Vg). There are two kinds of
mercy, then: mercy on earth and mercy in heaven, human mercy and
divine mercy. What is human mercy like? It makes you concerned for
the hardship of the poor. What is divine mercy like? It forgives
sinners. Whatever generosity human mercy shows during our life on
earth, divine mercy repays when we reach our fatherland. In this
world God is cold and hungry in all the poor, as he himself said: “As
you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me”
(Mt 25,40). God, then, is pleased to give from heaven, but he desires
to receive on earth.

Saint Leo the Great (?-c.461)

Pope and Doctor of the Church
Letter 28, to Flavian, 3-4 ; PL 54, 763-767 (trans. cf Breviary 25/03)

"As many as touched it were healed"

Human lowliness was taken by majesty, weakness by strength,
mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our fallen state, nature which
was inviolable was united with a nature which was passible. Thus, in
accordance with our needs, “one and same mediator between God and
man, the man Christ Jesus” (1Tim 2,5) was able to die in the one
nature and incapable of death in the other. True God, then, was born
in the complete and perfect nature of true man... He took the form of a
servant without stain of sin. He enhanced our humanity but did not
thereby diminish his divinity. By emptying himself (Phil 2,7) the
invisible one made himself visible. The Lord and Creator of all things
willed to be one with mortal men, but this was a bending down in pity
not a failure of power... Begotten into a new order by a new birth... he
was in his own nature invisible, but was made visible in ours; he is
incomprehensible yet he willed to be comprehended; enduring before
time began, he began to be in time. The Lord of the universe took on
the form of a slave (Phil 2,7), veiling his infinite majesty. The God
who cannot suffer did not disdain to be a man who can, and, immortal
though he is, to subject himself to the laws of death. For he who is
true God is also true man... He is true God insofar as “in the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God”; and he is man insofar as “the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us” (Jn 1,1.14).
Vatican Council II
Ad gentes: Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church, § 21

“May your light shine before others” (Mt 5,16)

For the gospel cannot be deeply imprinted on the talents, life and
work of any people without the active presence of laymen...Their
main duty, whether they are men or women, is the witness which they
are bound to bear to Christ by their life and works in the home, in
their social group, and in own professional circle. For in them there
must appear the new man created according to God in justice and true
holiness (Eph. 4,24). But they must give expression to this newness of
life in the social and cultural framework of their own homeland,
according to their own national traditions. They must be acquainted
with this culture. They must heal it and preserve it. They must
develop it in accordance with modern conditions, and finally perfect it
in Christ. Thus the faith of Christ and the life of the Church will no
longer be something extraneous to the society in which they live, but
will begin to permeate and transform it. Let them be one with their
fellow countrymen in sincere charity, so that there may appear in their
way of life a new bond of unity and of universal solidarity, drawn
from the mystery of Christ...This obligation is all the more urgent,
because very many men can hear of the gospel and recognize Christ
only by means of the laity who are their neighbours... Let the clergy
highly esteem the arduous apostolate of the laity. Let them train the
laity to become conscious of the responsibility, which as members of
Christ they bear for all men. Let them instruct them deeply in the
mystery of Christ, introduce them to practical methods, and be at their
side in difficulties... While pastors and laymen, then, retain each their
own due functions and their own responsibilities, the whole young
Church should render one vital and firm witness to Christ, and thus
become a shining beacon of the salvation which comes to us in Christ.

Saint Hilary (c.315-367)

Bishop of Poitiers, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Psalm 126[127], PL 9, 696
"The river burst against that house but could not
shake it"
Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it”
(Ps127[126],1). “You are the temple of God and the Spirit of God
dwells in you” (1Co 3,16). Of this house and temple of God, which is
full of teaching and graces from God; of this dwelling containing
holiness from God's own heart, the same prophet has given this
testimony: “Your temple is holy, resplendent with justice” (Ps
65[64],5-6 Vg). Our holiness, justice and chastity form a temple for
God. So then, this house must be built by God. No edifice
constructed by the work of human hands will last; nothing established
according to the teachings of this world will stand firm; our empty
labors and diligent care are useless protectors. Therefore it is for us to
build in another way and protect this house after another fashion. We
are not to found it on soil, on slippery and shifting sand, but must
set its foundation on the prophets and apostles. We must raise it
up with living stones, hold it in place by its capstone, raise it up in
gradual stages until it reaches mature manhood and the full stature of
the Christ's body (1P 2.5; Ep 2 20; 4:12-13). We must decorate it
with the brilliance and beauty of spiritual graces. If it is thus to be
constructed by God, that is to say according to his teachings, it will
not fall. And this house will extend into many others, because all that
is constructed by any believer is to the benefit of us all and for the
embellishment and increase of the blessed city.
Our Lady of Lourdes and the Conversion of Dr. Felix
Leseur
by Fulton J. Sheen
Just at the turn of the century, there was a woman married in Paris, just a good, ordinary
Catholic girl, to an atheist doctor, Dr. Felix Leseur. He attempted to break down the faith of
his wife and she reacted and began studying her faith. In l905, she was taken ill and tossed on
a bed of constant pain until August 1914. When she was dying, she said to her husband,
“Felix, when I am dead, you will become a Catholic and a Dominican priest.”

“Elisabeth, you know my sentiments. I’ve sworn hatred of God, I shall live in the hatred and I
shall die in it.”

She repeated her words and passed away. She died in her husband’s arms at the early age of
47.
Rummaging through her papers, Felix found her will. She wrote: “In l905, I asked almighty
God to send me sufficient sufferings to purchase your soul. On the day that I die, the price
will have been paid. Greater love than this no woman has than she who lay down her life for
her husband.”

Dr. Leseur, the atheist, dismissed her will as the fancies of a pious woman. He decided to
write a book against Lourdes. He went down to Lourdes to write against Our Lady.

However, as he looked up into the face of the statue of Mary, he received the great gift of
faith. So total, so complete was it, that he never had to go through the process of juxtaposition
and say, “how will I answer this or that difficulty?”
He saw it all. At once.

The then reigning pontiff was Benedict XV. Then came World War I. Hearing of the
conversion of Dr. Leseur, Pope Benedict XV sent for him. Dr. Leseur went in the company of
Fr. Jon Vinnea, orator of Notre Dame. Dr. Leseur recounted his conversion and said that he
wanted to become a Dominican priest. Holy Father said, “I forbid you. You must remain in
the world and repair the harm which you have done.”

The Holy Father then talked to Fr. Vinnea and then again to Dr. Leseur and said: “I revoke
my decision. Whatever Fr. Vinnea tells you to do, you may do.”

In the year 1924, during Lent, I, Fulton J. Sheen, made my retreat in the Dominican
monastery in Belgium. Four times each day, and 45 minutes in length, I made my retreat
under the spiritual guidance of Father Felix Leseur of the Order of Preachers, Catholic
Dominican priest, who told me this story.

Note: The cause of Elisabeth Leseur’s canonization is proceeding in Rome. Fr. Leseur died a
priest in 1950. You can read her inspiring diary printed by Sophia Institute Press under the
title of The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur

Elisabeth and Felix Leseur, 1910

“Every human being is an incalculable force, bearing within him something of the future. To
the end of time, our daily words and actions will bear fruit, either good or bad; nothing that
we have once given of ourselves will perish, but our words and works, handed on from one to
another, will continue to do good or harm to remote generations. This is why life is a sacred
thing, and we ought not to pass through it thoughtlessly, but to appreciate its value and use it
so that, when we are gone, the sum total of good in the world may be greater.” ~ The Servant
of God Elisabeth Leseur
BARTIMEAUS

A Homily attributed to Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-532)

Bishop

"Jesus laid his hands on the blind man"

The mirror image is passing by; the mirror image takes away. For
indeed, he who “enlightens everyone coming into the world” (Jn 1,9)
is the true mirror of the Father. Christ passes by as one who is the
mirror image of the Father (cf. Heb 1,3) and takes away the blindness
of eyes that do not see. Christ, who comes from heaven, passes by so
that all flesh might see him according to the prophetic word of the
holy old man, Simeon, who received the newborn Word in his arms
and beheld him with joy, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your
servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Lk 2,29-
30). The blind man alone was unable to see Christ, mirror of the
Father. What great faithfulness was there then to what the prophets
had proclaimed: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears
of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the
tongue of the dumb will sing”? (Is 35,5-6). Christ opened the blind
man's eyes and he saw in Christ the mirror of the Father. O wonderful
remedy, contrary to all nature!... The first man was created filled with
light; he became blind when he left the serpent. This blind man began
to be born again when he started to believe. For his body was sick but
his very nature, too, was corrupted. He had a twofold need of light...
The craftsman, who was his Creator, passed by and refashioned this
image of fallen man into the mirror image when he saw the blind
man's wretchedness. O wonder of God's strength, healing what it sees
and enlightening what it visits.
Not Sure

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Dominican theologian, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, 6

Our sign of glory : the Son of Man delivered into

the hands of men
“As for me,” says Saint Paul, “may I never boast except in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And Saint Augustine observes: “See how,
where those who are wise in this world believed shame to lie, the
apostle Paul finds riches; what seemed folly to them was wisdom and
a sign of glory to him” (1Cor 1:17f.). Now everyone assumes
distinction from what seems important in their own eyes. People who
think themselves great because of their riches, glory in their goods.
People who see no glory but in Jesus Christ, set their glory only in
Jesus. Of these was the apostle Paul, who said: “I live, yet no longer I,
but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2,20). This is why he does not boast in
anything except Christ and, above all, the cross of Christ. For every
motive one could possibly have is brought together in this. There are
people who vaunt their friendship with the great and powerful; Paul
needs nothing but Christ's cross to disclose the unmistakable sign of
God's friendship. “God proves his love for us in that, while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). No, nothing manifests
God's love for us so much as the death of Christ. “Oh inimitable
testimony of love!” exclaims Saint Gregory: “To redeem the slave
you delivered up the Son.”