Who but God alone can forgive sins?

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:1-8.
He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.


Commentary of the day : Isaac of Stella
«Who but God alone can forgive sins?" (Mk 2:7)
The prerogative of receiving the confession of sin and the power to forgive sin are two things that belong properly to God alone. We must confess our sins to him and look to him for forgiveness. Since only he has the power to forgive sins, it is to him that we must make our confession. But when the Almighty, the Most High, wedded a bride who was weak and of low estate, he made that maid-servant a queen. He took her from her place behind him, at these feet, and enthroned her at his side. She had been born from his side, and therefore he betrothed her to himself (Gn 2:22; Jn 19:34). And as all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son because by nature they are one (Jn 17:20), so also the bridegroom gave all he had to the bride and he shared in all that was hers. He made her one both with himself and with the Father...

      And so the bridegroom is one with the Father and one with the bride. Whatever he found in his bride alien to her own nature he took from her and nailed to his cross when he bore her sins and destroyed them on the tree. He received from her and clothed himself in what was hers by nature and gave her what belonged to him as God... Thus, sharing as he did in the bride's weakness, the bridegroom made his own her cries of distress, and gave his bride all that was his. Therefore, she too has the prerogative of receiving the confession of sin and the power to forgive sin, which is the reason for the command, «Go, show yourself to the priest.» (Mk 1:44)

His name is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Gospel Theme Song: click here to download

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:35-37.
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes claim that the Messiah is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the holy Spirit, said: 'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet."'
David himself calls him 'lord'; so how is he his son?" (The) great crowd heard this with delight.

Friday of the Ninth week in Ordinary Time : Mc 12,35-37

Commentary of the day
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (313-350), Bishop of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church
Baptismal Catechesis 10, 2-5; PG 33, 662f

His name is «King of kings and Lord of lords." (Rv 19:16)

If any one wishes to show piety towards God, let him worship the Son; otherwise the Father does not accept his homage. The Father spoke with a loud voice from heaven, saying, «This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased» (Mt 3:17). The Father was well pleased with the Son... who is called «Lord» (Lk 2:11), not improperly as those who are so called among men, but as having a natural and eternal lordship...

While remaining who he is and truly holding unchanged the dignity of his Sonship, he adapts himself to our infirmities, like an excellent physician or a compassionate teacher. He is truly Lord; he did not receive this title by some sort of advancement. The dignity of lordship is his by nature. He was not given the title»lord» as we are, but he is so in truth, since by the Father's bidding he is Lord over his own works. Human lordship is exercised over people of dignity and weakness equal to our own, even over our elders; often a young master rules over aged servants. But in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, lordship is not of this nature: he is first Maker, then Lord. First he made all things by the Father's will, then, he is Lord of the things which were made by him.

This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it.

Gospel Theme Song:
click here to download...

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:28-34.
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, «Which is the first of all the commandments?»
Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, 'He is One and there is no other than he.'
And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
De Trinitate, VIII, 12 ; PL 42, 958B-959A

“This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it.” (Mt 22:38-39)

“Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God. The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is love.” (1 Jn 4:7-8) In this text, the apostle John with his great authority shows clearly that fraternal love not only comes from God, but that this fraternal love, which causes us to love one another, is God himself.

Consequently, when we love our brother with a genuine love, we are loving our brother according to God, through God. And it is impossible not to love above everything that love itself, thanks to which we love our brother. From which we can conclude that these two precepts cannot exist one without the other. Since “God is love”, the person who loves love certainly loves God; and the person who loves his brother necessarily loves love. That is why the apostle John says a little later: “One who has no love for the brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen.” (1 Jn 4:20). What stops him from seeing God is that he does not love his brother. The person who does not love his brother is not in love; and the person who is not in love, is not in God, for “God is love.”