When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you"

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

- Matthew 9:1-8

In yesterday's reading, we read that when Jesus and the disciples had come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (after a very stormy crossing), to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.  Jesus' own city is Capernaum, to which He and the disciples have returned from across the Sea of Galilee (see yesterday's reading, above).  What is notable and remarkable about this healing is the role of the friends of the paralytic in expressing the faith that is indispensable to it.  It shows us that faith is collective as well as personal; we can always pray for others, those whom we know and whom we don't, those who are living and those who have passed.  There are three signs of Jesus' divinity shown here:  He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30);  He forgives sins, a power which belongs to God alone; He heals by the power of His word.

The power of prayer is a truly remarkable thing to contemplate.  Certainly in the Gospels, there are surprising aspects of prayer that are given to us.  In this case, we can see that prayer works in a sense which might be described in modern terms as a network.  Each of us has the facility to work as a "terminal" in a network setting when it comes to prayer.  We may connect that prayer with others in praying for them, so that, like the friends of the paralytic, our prayers may be effective in helping to bring about their healing.  In this sense, one who is too caught up in his or her own life may have a heart softened by the power of prayer through a friend of loved one.  In this sense, prayer is almost a seemingly unlimited facility for connecting with our Lord and helping to effect healing in the lives of others, whatever form that may need to take.  We also pray for the dead, or rather for those who live in Christ but have passed from this life.  Again, the Church through this practice effectively shows us there is no limit to the effectiveness of prayer; neither space nor time hinders our prayers for others.   It functions like a network in which God is the center, but each of us may facilitate connections for others.  In this model, and perhaps not so coincidentally in the patristic language of the Church, mercy is the energy of God that works along this network; it is God's love in action in which we may share by also practicing mercy through our prayers.  Altogether, each of factors combined give us a tremendous picture of facility and power that is possible through prayer.  It is little wonder that those monastics throughout the centuries have practiced prayer in order to uphold and to save a world in need.  Let us consider this all-too-frequently overlooked power that is in prayer.  Its action is subtle, and deep in the heart.  Again, our reading gives us a hint of the work of Creator in whose realm we participate through prayer:  He is the knower of hearts, and we may reach into hearts through prayer in ways that are impossible through any other means.  We simply have no idea where our prayers will lead or what healing action may be at work through time and the depth prayer may reach.  Prayer is a practice which is always appropriate.  May we do as St. Paul teaches, in practicing prayer which accompanies our lives without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).