Sin destroys! Unrepented, there is a ripple effect which can affect the lives of friends and family. Soon enough we can become paralysed in our sin, waiting to die!
Turn away from sin and turn to life in Jesus Christ our Lord. And we shall here Him say to us, ”‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ How wonderful when we hear the this words at the end of the sacrament of reconciliation, ”God, the Father of mercies, through the Death and Resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace.” Amen
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal pray for us…
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First reading
Amos 7:10-17 ·
The Lord took me from herding the flock and sent me to prophesy
Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel as follows. ‘Amos is plotting against you in the heart of the House of Israel; the country can no longer tolerate what he keeps saying. For this is what he says, “Jeroboam is going to die by the sword, and Israel go into exile far from its country.”’ To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;’ get back to the land of Judah; earn your bread there, do your prophesying there. We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’ ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’ Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd, and looked after sycamores: but it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” So listen to the word of the Lord.
‘You say:‘“Do not prophesy against Israel, utter no oracles against the House of Isaac.”
‘Very well, this is what the Lord says,
‘“Your wife will be forced to go on the streets, your sons and daughters will fall by the sword,
your land be parcelled out by measuring line, and you yourself die on unclean soil and Israel will go into exile far distant from its own land.”’
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Gospel
Matthew 9:1-8
‘Your sins are forgiven; get up and walk’
Jesus got in the boat, crossed the water and came to his own town. Then some people appeared, bringing him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ And at this some scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ Knowing what was in their minds Jesus said, ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home. And the man got up and went home. A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for giving such power to men.
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