The Forgiveness of Sins

The foundation of our salvation in Jesus Christ is the forgiveness of sins. Jesus came to save us from our sins, and by becoming one of us, forever conquered the effect of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over us, unless of course, we allow it.

In the Gospel we hear Jesus forgiveness the sins of the paralytic man, BEFORE healing his illness. “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9.2) That means, before we can be healed of our physical wounds, we must first be forgiven of our sins. Our bodies will eventually die and return to dust, but our souls, which will forever bear our sins, will live forever with the burden that comes with sin. By forgiving the paralytic’s sins, Jesus was reminding Him of what was important, the soul.

In our contemporary days, we are preoccupied with our physical health. Our “health care system” is focused on making us live forever. Millions of dollars and thousands of hours are spent and agonized over in hospitals attempting to live forever. But what effort do we make to heal our soul? If we are willing to spend so much effort to heal our physical wounds, shouldn’t we be willing to put at least that much effort into our souls?

We can be forgiven. We only need to ask, and the Church has been given authority by Christ to forgive sins. Schedule a confession with your spiritual father today. Don’t miss the chance to hear the words, “Your sins are forgiven.”