Our Save the Dying Association Was Never More Needed

Our "Save the Dying" Association was never more needed.




February 19 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time



Forgiveness of sin is the message in this Sunday's liturgy - and we may well see this is a self-evident fact which we have always believed and look around for some other teaching. But perhaps we should pause - especially in our paganized society - and ask ourselves what is involved.


The First Reading really opens the door to sinners! God is ready and anxious to forgive the sins of His people and He proposes to do so with divine generosity. Nevertheless it would seem from a superficial perusal of these lines that, no matter what our disposition, forgiveness is ours. But . . . doesn't the sinner have to stop somewhere along his hectic journey and ask himself: "Do I want to be forgiven?" If he has no intention of stopping - indeed if he's having a great time - what is the moment when God intervenes to forgive sins for which the sinner has no repentance whatsoever? If the sick man is enjoying his sickness and refuses the medications ... how can he get better? Clearly this Reading does not say it all.


The Responsorial Psalm is more in line with our usual thinking. The Response: "Heal my soul for I have sinned against you,"sets the right tone. Of course God wants to forgive and is divinely generous, but why should He forgive if He has not been asked? Do we need courts of law any more - "come home, it's all forgiven!?


The Second Reading is not quite so out of line with the rest as we have come to expect: Jesus is the Man of Yes (in the good old days certain superiors of our were called "the men of 'no' because that was their favorite word!). The background here is Paul's Letter to the Corinthians who, apparently, had accused him of duplicity. Paul protests his authenticity - he does not need to be forgiven.


The Gospel is a story of forgiveness in two stages: first the impressive healing - "forgiving" - of the paralyzed man, and then words of divine forgiveness for his spiritual state. Like the people, we are impressed by this miracle, but we should certainly also spare a thought for the four Good Samaritans who went to considerable lengths on behalf of their sick friend.


That is your role and mine: perhaps try to bring a misguided friend back to the practice of his faith but, if that is not feasible, then to storm heaven on his behalf. All over the Church there has spread a deadening cloud of indifference as more and more Catholics behave in a way which now appears to be taken for granted but which would have elicited words of concern - and more than concern - a few decades ago. We mustn't forget these people, sometimes our next-door neighbors, who may well be in danger of making the final and most devastating mistake: and eternity in Hell. Our devotion SAVE THE DYING was never more urgent and if you haven't begun to practice it, today is the day to begin!


~February 2012 Concord