St. George Cathedral of Stockholm
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In today’s Gospel, several people bring a paralytic to the Lord. They place before Christ a man who cannot walk, expecting the healing of his body. Yet the Lord first says to him: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
Saint Cyril of Alexandria draws our attention to the loving word “son.” Christ address the paralytic as a man who belongs to God. The Lord sees beyond his illness and beyond his sins. He sees a human person created in the image of God and called to communion with Him.
Saint John Chrysostom teaches that Christ heals first what is invisible—the soul—and then what is visible—the body. It is easier for people to observe a body rising from its bed than to see the hidden healing of a soul. Therefore, the Lord performs the visible miracle as confirmation of the invisible gift of forgiveness.
This does not mean that every illness is the punishment for a particular personal sin. Illness belongs to the brokenness of our fallen world. The Christian response to suffering is compassion and prayer.
The Gospel also tells us that Jesus “saw their faith.” The paralytic did not come to Christ by himself. Others carried him. Their faith, their love and their perseverance brought the suffering man into the presence of the Lord.
Here we see an image of the Church. None of us is saved in isolation. At times we are the paralytic, unable even to pray, and we need others to carry us through their prayers and love. At other times, we are called to carry someone else; a person weakened by illness, grief, loneliness, addiction or despair.
We carry others to Christ when we pray for them, when we remain beside them, without judging them, and when we help bear their burdens. The faith of one person can become a path through which God’s grace reaches another.
Yet Christ says to each of us: Do not surrender to despair. Do not remain imprisoned by your past. Allow your wounds to become sources of humility and compassion. Return to your daily life as a person renewed by grace.
For Christ is the Physician of both soul and body, the One who forgives, restores and raises fallen humanity to new life. Amen!
