[stephenkhoo]

THE DIFFICULTY OF BELIEVING IN THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND MERCY OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 SM 8:4-7, 10-22; MK 2:1-12
http://www.universalis.com/20140117/mass.htm



The first reading of today proclaims the unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness of God. This is illustrated in the historical event of Israel’s adoption of the monarchy system. Samuel was growing old. His form of administration was no longer effective in maintaining the unity and strength of the Israelites. They felt the need of a king who could unite them and lead them to battle against their enemies. However, in asking for a king, the people were rejecting Yahweh as their one and only King. This insistence for a king remained in spite of the warnings that God gave to them regarding the limitations and weaknesses of earthly kings who would ultimately use them for their own selfish interests.

What is ironical about this whole event is that it was Samuel who was displeased. Whereas for Yahweh, He was not so much displeased with the Israelites but rather, He was fearful for their future. He was genuinely concerned for their interests rather than for His own glory. Yahweh never held anything against them. His love for them was so genuine that He allowed them to do what they wanted even when they went against His will. And as history shows, when they regretted and repented, Yahweh took them back. By so doing, Yahweh showed Himself to be freedom-in-love. Unlike God, our love is so conditional. When we love, we want to possess. We make people do things that we like; not what they like. We want them to do our bidding, be at our beck and call. If not, we get angry with them and disown them. We do not love them anymore. So in reality, we love people only because they are a projection of ourselves, because they serve our selfish interests.

Like the Israelites, we too are stubborn people and strong-willed. Very often we want things our way in spite of the good advice that God gives to us through His prophets. We do not want to listen to Him. Instead, we act without the wisdom of God. As a result, we bring misery upon ourselves. However, today, the scripture readings exhort us to take heart that God is not angry with us. He is all forgiving and all love.

However, most of us find it very difficult to accept that God can be so merciful and free in love. We think that we must earn the love and mercy of God. Most of us only believe in theory that God loves us unconditionally but not in fact. This is can be shown in our attitude towards the question of penance. Very often, the meaning of penance is grossly misunderstood by many as a means to earn the grace of God so that we can be even and on par with Him. We find it difficult to believe that the love of God is pure grace. Hence, we must earn His love and forgiveness.

This precisely was the same attitude of the Jews and the Scribes and Pharisees. They too could not believe that God can be so forgiving. The paralytic man could not walk, perhaps, due to the fact that he was burdened by his past and inability to forgive himself because he could not accept the forgiveness of God. Indeed, he was crippled by his own unforgiveness. So too were the scribes and Pharisees. When they heard Jesus saying to the paralytic, “your sins are forgiven”, they began to criticize Jesus for being blasphemous in their minds. But Jesus knew their hearts and minds. Hence, he asked them: “Which of these is easier: to say … ‘your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take up your stretcher and walk’?

What do you think is their answer? Most probably, we would think that they would think like us, that making the paralyzed man to walk is the more difficult task to do than to say, ‘your sins are forgiven.” But the irony is that for the Jews and the scribes, the more difficult task is not working a healing miracle. Rather it is to believe in the miracle of God’s unconditional forgiveness. Indeed, they had no problems in believing that God could heal. The fact that they brought the paralyzed man to Jesus in spite of the many obstacles implies that they have faith that Jesus could heal. It is true also for the paralyzed man. But that was all that they expected. They did not expect more than physical healing. The paralytic and the rest of the Jews were only ready for a cure not for a healing of the soul and the forgiveness of sins. And that is why they were shocked and scandalized when Jesus offered them the forgiveness of God.

Indeed if we search deep within ourselves, we too will find that it is easier to believe in miracles than to accept God’s unconditional forgiveness. This is because we do not forgive in that way. We do not forgive so easily. Even our forgiveness has many conditions attached. Quite often too, we forgive others only when they beg for forgiveness. We would not forgive them until they tell us that they are sorry. We are too proud to forgive. For this reason, we find it very difficult to accept the unconditional forgiving love of God.

Hence, the only way for Jesus to show us that the forgiveness of God is so real, is to perform the easier task of making the paralytic walk. In doing the easier task, it shows that forgiveness had indeed taken place. In healing the paralytic, Jesus wanted to show us that God not only cures people through human beings, but He also forgives us through our fellow human beings. Yes, the love and mercy of God is so great and unimaginable that He would work through and with us, whether in mediating His love or His forgiveness.

Let us pray that we too may experience the tremendous power of God’s forgiveness in our own lives so that empowered by His incredible and overwhelming love; we can extend this same forgiveness to those who have hurt us in our lives. Without this experience, it would be difficult to really forgive those who have hurt us.