In the gospel today Jesus told the paralytic, in front of a large crowd who doubted his ability to forgive sins, “But, that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth, I say to you, rise, pick up your mat and go home.” The paralytic rose, picked up his mat and went home right in front of everyone present that day. Everyone was astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this”.
Miracles validate the truth in the bible. Jesus performed miracles as a visible, tangible witness, that he truly was who he said he was. Jesus Christ is the son of God. The miracles he performed validated who he was. Anyone could claim to be the messiah, but Christ’s miracles proved that he was the messiah. He also told the Pharisees that his works spoke for themselves in this scripture passage from the gospel of John:
“Can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (Jn 10: 36-38)
We have no doubt that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God, because of his “works” which were miracles. His resurrection from the dead was the greatest miracle that the world has ever known. No human being has ever been declared dead and was buried for three days in a grave, and then came back to life again. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the miracle that caused billions of people throughout 2,000 years of Christianity, to believe that he really is the son of God.
When Jesus approached the paralytic man, he did not ask the man if he wanted him to heal his paralysis. Jesus looked at the paralytic man and understood that his sins were more of a problem than his paralysis. We do not know the state of the man’s soul, but Christ obviously did. His paralyzed body was secondary to the state of his soul. Perhaps the paralytic was the cause of a terrible accident that took the lives of other people. We do not know what his sin was, but Christ was more concerned about that, than his body.
The miracle that Jesus performed, to heal the paralytic man was so everyone present there would also know that the authority had been given to him by God, to forgive sins. The miracle proved his authority to forgive sins.
Miracles in modern times also occur in order to back up the validity of a supernatural occurrence. Our Lady of Lourdes produced a miraculous, healing spring whose waters healed the sick. Our Lady of Fatima produced the miracle of the sun to prove that she was genuinely appearing to the children of Fatima. Our Lady of Guadalupe proved to the bishop, that she was genuinely appearing to Juan Diego and that she wanted a church built in her honor, by giving Juan Diego a cloak full of fresh roses in the dead of winter with an image of her etched into the cloth.
Even in the old testament, God performed miracles, such as the parting of the red sea, to prove to the Israelites that it really was God Himself that was leading them out of slavery. The miracles Jesus performed during his life, and even the modern day miracles that occurred in Fatima, Lourdes and Mexico, all defied the natural laws of our world and was witnessed by many people.
Miracles validate the truth of God’s real presence on the earth, that Jesus Christ really is the son of God, and that Mary, the Mother of God genuinely appeared on the earth as well. After a miracle occurs, there is no doubt about the matter. A genuine miracle removes doubt and is for the benefit of everyone, not just the individual person involved. This is why Jesus stated in today’s gospel, “But, that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth …” and then performed the miracle right in front of the whole crowd that was present that day.
We can trust that the Lord is who he said he is, and that our sins can be forgiven by him, and that we too, shall rise from the dead and follow Jesus into eternal life because of miracles – like the one Jesus performed in today’s gospel.
In the first reading for mass the people demanded a king and God gave them one. But Christ said his kingdom was not of this earth and he backed up his words by the miracles he performed, like the healing of the paralyzed man in today’s gospel.
