“Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”” (Luke 5:17)
Saint Ephrem the Syrian offers the following insight on these verses from today’s Gospel:
“While the Pharisee doubted that our Lord was a prophet, he was unwittingly pledging himself to the truth by thinking, “If this man were a prophet, he would know that this woman is a sinner.” Therefore, if our Lord indeed knows that she is a sinner, then, Pharisee, by your own reasoning he indeed is a prophet. And so our Lord did not hesitate to point out not only that she was a sinner but also that she had sinned very much, so that the testimony of his own mouth would trap the accuser. [The Pharisee] was one of those who had said, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Our Lord took this testimony from them, that whoever is able to forgive sin is God. From this point on, the struggle was for our Lord to show them whether or not he was able to forgive sin. And so he quickly healed the parts [of the body] that were visible, to confirm that he had forgiven the sins which were not visible.” (Homily on Our Lord, 21.)
Collect
May our prayer of petition
rise before You, we pray, O Lord,
that, with purity unblemished,
we, Your servants, may come, as we desire, to celebrate the great mystery
of the Incarnation of Your only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
rise before You, we pray, O Lord,
that, with purity unblemished,
we, Your servants, may come, as we desire, to celebrate the great mystery
of the Incarnation of Your only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
