Which is Easier?

Gospel: Luke 5: 17-26

In today's Gospel reading Jesus asks us an important question: which is easier for us to do - forgive someone of their sins, or heal a person lame from birth? On the surface, this question should be easy to answer.  It is far easier for us to forgive another than to cure the incurable, and yet if we look at human behavior we find that we act as if the opposite were true.  

How little time and effort we spend on forgiving others! How much prayer and effort we spend hoping for a miracle cure of an incurable affliction!  In terms of societal priorities, our money and resources continue to be spent on more deadly weapons, on an unjust capital punishment system, and the right to carry a lethal assault rifle anywhere we like.  All of this negates our worthwhile spending to heal other people of infirmities, injury, and disease.  But it highlights the fact that we spend no money at all on restorative and transformative justice programs, and precious little on mental health services.

Advent reminds us that Jesus came to bring mercy to the whole person - healing of body, mind, and spirit.  Jesus calls us to be ministers of this mercy in the world, to bring healing of those with bodily afflictions, forgiveness to those relationships in our lives that are broken, healing to spirit and mind of those afflicted with anger, bitterness, and demons of all sorts.