“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 9;2

Matthew 9:1-8

Reflection

People bring a paralyzed person to Jesus, and he forgives the paralytic’s sins. The scribes can’t believe he would do this, and so Jesus asks them if it is easier to tell someone their sins are forgiven or to rise and walk. He then orders the paralytic to rise, walk, and go home. The crowds are awestruck.

Jesus tells the paralytic to have courage. He says the same thing to us every day. When we are full of fear, unsure, or worried, he calls us to have courage in him who will sustain us. Courage gives us the ability to maintain faithfulness in our Lord, even amidst various struggles.

Having courage in Christ is not always the easy route, because it usually requires us to take a leap of faith that can be difficult in some circumstances. Yet we know that Jesus will not let us fall, because he is always with us. How is the Lord calling you to have courage today?

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Saint of the Day

St. Oliver Plunkett: 1629 – 1681

“I do finally forgive all who did concur, directly or indirectly, to take away my life; and I ask forgiveness of all those whom I ever offended by thought, word, or deed.” St. Oliver Plunkett