White Stone Journal

In the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, the author points out the literary meanings behind seasons, weather, and character descriptions. Today’s Gospel, the healing of the paralytic lowered from the roof, has several interesting points worth noting. The most obvious, and perhaps most often remarked, is that Jesus forgives sins, which shocks the religious leaders, but then heals the paralytic as proof of his authority. Christians already depend upon and embrace the healing and forgiveness offered by Jesus, but what else can we learn here?

Other aspects of this story are significant for our own situation. There are four men who bring the paralytic to Jesus, but are blocked by the crowd. Who are these men, or whom do they represent, and why are there four (aside from practical concerns)? The number four often represents the whole world, so perhaps it reminds us that the whole world comes to Christ for healing and forgiveness. We know nothing of their motivations. These litter bearers are not described as friends or relatives. For all we know, they may have been servants or even paid to deliver the paralytic, perhaps by his mother. We do know they were highly motivated, and considered getting the man to Jesus as more important than a roof. Seeing this, Jesus did not comment on the faith of the paralytic, but on the faith of those who bore the man in need of saving, and this was enough.

The heresy of Pelagianism claimed that we can attain Heaven by our own efforts. One objection to infant baptism has been the lack of choice, and that the child should wait until they can choose on their own. But in today’s story, it is the faith of the bearers that matters, the paralytic never requests healing or forgiveness. In the gospels, Jesus sometimes takes the initiative and heals those who did not ask, or invites himself to a tax collector’s house, when all the man wanted was to see Jesus. This turns our sense of control upside down, as we want to be the prime mover. We decide when we will accept Christ or reform our lives. But it is God who calls first, and we can only choose to answer.

In this gospel story, the paralytic is presented before Jesus, and he both forgives and heals. When Jesus commands him to get up and walk, he does so. While God moves first, it is up to us to move next. He will forgive and heal, but we must carry on from there.

The necessity of infant baptism

Ask a question about why Catholics baptize babies and the response is often “in case they die.” Leaving aside the questions about the fate of unbaptized children for now (CCC 1261), this is a fundamentally flawed answer for a number of reasons. The truth is, we baptize babies (and anyone else) in case they live. Baptism initiates the sacramental life, provides visible assurance of God’s Grace, and marks the person as a worthy recipient of all God has to offer. This worthiness does not come from the person, but from God, and infant baptism underscores the fact that God initiates the saving action. We are all as helpless as infants when it comes to bringing about our own salvation, but this is most obvious in an infant. Just as we expect a child to be washed and presentable before sitting down to an elegant dinner with us, God cleanses us and makes us worthy to sit at His table. The sooner we are cleansed, the sooner we can enjoy God’s company at table. Baptism is also a visible assurance of God’s Grace, provided we believe Christ’s own words. There is no need for the baptized child to question later, “was I baptized?” There is even a certificate. With the assurance that the event happened, and that it means a promise of Grace, the child can grow in confidence, with no doubt of God’s love and support. Even in sin, there is the confidence that repentance will be met with mercy, and that where there is no repentance, God will continue to call and look for the return of the prodigal. A baptized person need never doubt God’s love. Neither does anyone else, as God loves all, but the baptized person has received proof. Baptism is also a visible sign that the child deserves all the Church has to offer. The parents are bound by Baptism to treat their child as their beloved brother or sister, not just a child, and certainly not chattel. With some sensible restrictions, the Church cannot rightfully refuse to minister to that child, so Baptism brings an obligation to all baptized others, including the saints. The child is baptized priest, prophet and king, to become part of the Body of Christ, no less than anyone else, and with this in mind, how could any parent not desire it?

For further reading: http://old.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2.shtml#art1

Here is a response to our list of the Seven Deadly Sins from bigstahl500 (emphasis mine):

"pribe is not a one of 7. It is envy. Pride is a virtue. One takes pride in life, career,children and anything that keeps the human race moving . Do you take pride in this web site? Or is that a deadly sin? Envy, not pride. way to go whith being stupid...Miss Quote more...Top 3 Google sites wow ignorens is bliss.."

We hardly know where to begin, but we can definitely point to this as an example of what the country, if not civilization, is coming to. It is so sad, and this person clearly has no clue to their own ignorance. It would be fine if they simply disagreed with Pope St. Gregory the Great, but they actually believe every site that includes Pride as one of the Seven Deadly Sins is misquoting (Miss Quoting?) the source (Gregory's Moralia in Job). Oh well.

To see the original site: The Seven Deadly Sins

Question:

If Jesus is the one and only way to the father, why hasent the whole world embraced Him? Why do we have various other religions? -- from 'M'

Our Answer:

Ever since Adam, the whole world has hidden from God. We hide behind
the many religions we have invented, we hide behind the masks we wear
and the masks we put on God. We hide from God because we sin and
because we want to go on sinning, and because we are ashamed of all
this. At the same time, we desire God, so we try to find some middle
ground where we can feel righteous but not get too close to God. When
Jesus brought the world too close to the Father, the world put him to
death, hoping to gain some distance, but instead it broke Heaven open
and Grace poured out on everyone, making it even harder to hide God
from ourselves.

Hiding from God is more difficult than ever, but at the end of the
world, it will be impossible.