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Zim Catholics diocese of Port Elizabeth, John Kani Road, Port Elizabeth Central, Gqeberha, Port Elizabeth (2026)

22/02/2026

To my fellow Catholics, as we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent, keeping in mind the significance of today's Violet liturgical colour which emphasises on prayer and reflection, let us remember to pray and reflect on Jesus' victory over temptation, so that it may act as a roadmap for us Catholics and all believers to endure our own spiritual trials. A blessed Sunday to you brethrens, and I pray that during this Lenten season, let us continue to connect as Catholics.

09/11/2025

*St. Gertrude The Great prayer for the Souls in Purgatory Novena*

*Day 1*

_Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen._

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy Souls in Purgatory. Amen. Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that this prayer would release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

*(Mention your request here…)*

St. Gertrude The Great, *pray for us.*

Say 1: Our Father… Say 1: Hail Mary…
Say 1: Glory Be…

05/09/2024

_*THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH 2024.*_

_*TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.*_

_*FIRST READING*_
_“All are yours,’ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”_
_*1ST CORINTHIANS 3: 18 - 23*_

Brethren: Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So let no one boast of men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.

_*The Word of the Lord.*_

_*RESPONSORIAL PSALM*_
_Psalm 24: 1 - 2, 3 - 4ab, 5 - 6 (R.) 1ab_

_*R/. The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness.*_

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world, and all who dwell in it.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the rivers he made it firm. *R/.*

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The clean of hands and pure of heart,
whose soul is not set on vain things. *R/.*

Blessings from the Lord shall he receive,
and right reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the people who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. *R/.*

_*GOSPEL ACCLAMATION*_
Matthew 4: 19

Alleluia.
_Follow me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men._
Alleluia.

_*GOSPEL*_
_“They left everything and followed him.”_
_*LUKE 5: 1 - 11*_

At that time: While the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

_*The Gospel of the Lord.*_

21/10/2022

You’re all invited to

14/06/2020

Here is Fr Jerry Browne's homily for today

Homily – Body and Blood of Christ - Cycle A, 2020
Fr Jerry Browne
Today we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
There is something strangely incongruous about the celebration of this feast in a time of
Eucharist famine, when the vast majority of Catholics throughout the world are not able to
partake in the Eucharist. Perhaps in the midst of this pandemic, this feast day forces us to
reflect more deeply on the significance of the Eucharist and its implications in our lives as we
strive to make sense of our current reality.
As Catholics we believe that it is in sharing the “Body of Christ” that we come into the presence
of God in a profound way as we recall the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. What does
‘sharing in the Body of Christ’ really mean to me? And how does it impact on my daily life?
Does it simply mean that I reaffirm my relationship with the Lord each time I receive the
Eucharist, or is it an action that sustains and strengthens me, and shapes the way that I live?
In our second reading today Saint Paul makes it clear that sharing in the life of Christ is not
limited to our reception of the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, alone, but is manifest when we
form the Body of Christ as a community of believers, united in the risen Lord. We see this in
his letter to the Corinthians, when he writes: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a
participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the
body of Christ? Then he goes on to say “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many,
are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” (1 Cor 10: 16-17).
There is no doubt that Paul understands that our ‘sharing in the Body of Christ’, the Eucharist,
is meant to shape the rest of our life. In other words, when we say yes to Christ in the
Eucharist, we are saying yes to living lives that put Christ at the centre. The early Christians
knew this - their lives looked substantially different to the people around them – they stood
out from the crowd because of how they lived. They took time to care for each other, they
helped each other, they encouraged each other, they supported each other, they forgave
each other, they worked together to make the world a better place – to be ‘other Christ’s’ in
the world.
To be ‘other Christ’s’, to be the Body of Christ, is to share in the life-giving mission of Jesus.
It is to understand that ‘life’ is a gift that we are privileged to share in - but is such that it can
only be enhanced when it is shared with others. Think about it. We can’t give life to ourselves
– we can only enrich the life we have - but we can give life to another. Ultimately, it is in giving,
loving, forgiving, in reaching beyond ourselves that our lives find their fullest meaning.
In today’s gospel we witness this self-giving when Jesus declared “The bread that I shall give
is my flesh, for the life of the world” (John 6:51). Jesus gives us everything, his life, his love,
his forgiveness – even his flesh and his blood, so that we might have life. His life is one of
total detachment and complete emptying of self.
This holy exchange that we see in the life of Jesus is the life that we too are called to live.
Mother Teresa describes this exchange when she writes: "In each of our lives Jesus comes
as the Bread of Life - to be eaten, to be consumed by us. This is how He loves us. Then Jesus
comes in our human life as the hungry one, the other, hoping to be fed with the Bread of our
life, our hearts by loving, and our hands by serving. In loving and serving, we prove that we
have been created in the likeness of God, for God is Love and when we love we are like God.”
Today, as we celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, let us remember that while
we may not be able to receive Christ in the Eucharist during these difficult times, we are still
the Body and Blood of Christ in the world. Teresa of Avila reminds us that “Christ has no body
now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he
looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are
the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
We carry within ourselves the privilege of sharing in the life of Christ – the only encounter with
Christ that many will now experience. Let us trust that as we traverse these desert days, that
we will be sustained with the manna that is God’s love even as we share that love with others.

25/05/2020

THE 7 GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
1. *WISDOM*: helps us see the world differently and from God's point of view.
2. *UNDERSTANDING*: enables us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith.
3. *COUNSEL* [also known as Right Judgement]: helps us to discern what is right and what is wrong.
4. *FORTITUDE* [also known as Courage]: strengthens our will so that we can actually accomplish what is true, good and beautiful.
5. *KNOWLEDGE*: enables us to discover God's will in all things.
6. *PIETY*: helps us to love God, our merciful Father, and to obey His precepts out of love for Him.
7. *FEAR OF THE LORD* [also known as Wonder and Awe]: helps us to understand how we must depend on God for everything. In other words, He is God, we are not.

13/05/2020

*KNOW YOUR SAINTS - 13th May - Feast of Our Lady of Fatima*

Wednesday, May 13,

On 13 May 1917, three children were pasturing their little flock in the Cova da Iria, parish of Fatima, town of Vila Nova de Ourém. today the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. They were called: Lucia de Jesus, aged 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged 9 and 7. About midday, after praying the Rosary, they were amusing themselves building a little house of stones scattered around the place where the Basilica now stands.

Suddenly they saw a brilliant light, and thinking it to be lightning, they decided to go home. But as they went down the slope another flash lit up the place, and they saw on the top of a holmoak (where the Chapel of Apparitions now stands), "a Lady more brilliant than the sun", from whose hands hung a white rosary.

The Lady told the three little shepherds that it was necessary to pray much, and she invited them to return to the Cova da Iria during five consecutive months, on the 13th day at that hour. The children did so and the 13th day of June, July, September and October, the Lady appeared to them again and spoke to them in the Cova da 0a.

On the 19th of August, the apparition took place at Valinhos, about 500 metres from Aljustrel, because on the 13th the children had been carried off by the local Administrator to Vila Nova de Ourém.

At the last apparition, on October 13, with about 70,000 people present, the Lady said to them that she was the "Lady of the Rosary" and that a chapel was to be built there in her honour. After the apparition all present witnessed the miracle promised to the three children in July and September: the sun, resembling a silver disc, whirled on itself like a wheel of fire, then seemed about to fall upon the earth.

Afterwards, when Lucia was a Religious Sister of Saint Dorothy, Our Lady appeared to her again in Spain (10 December 1925 and 15 February 1926, in the Convent of Pontevedra, and on the night of 13/14 June 1929, in the

26/03/2020

LETTER FROM BISHOP VINCENT IN LIGHT OF THE NATIONAL LOCKDOWN:

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ 24th March 2020

CIRCULAR REGARDING MEASURES TO COMBAT COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa: Last night (23rd March 2020) our President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa announced a nation-wide lockdown for 21 days with effect from midnight on Thursday 26th March 2020 for 21 days. I, therefore request that with immediate effect all Churches are closed. All public masses, prayer groups, SCC’c, Stations of the Cross etc….. are to be cancelled.

Masses: Sunday and weekday Masses must be celebrated privately by the priest until further notice. The laity and the deacons are hereby dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays until further notice. Priests are encouraged to share Sunday homilies, reflections etc… with their parishioners via email, social media, wattsupp etc….. I am aware that certain Parishes have the facility to live stream, please send the details to the Diocesan Secretary so that we may share with the Diocese.

Prayer at Home: Even though a dispensation has been given from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays, there is still an obligation to keep the Sabbath. During this time the faithful are called to live out the reality of the domestic Church viz. the body of Christ in the home. We recommend a fixed time for the family to meet for prayer services on Sundays or Saturday evenings. The Family Prayer Service starts with the Sign of the Cross, there is a silent awareness of the presence of Christ in the heart of the family that prays together, examination of conscience follows and the recitation of the Confiteor is done. The readings of the day are proclaimed, followed by sharing the Word of God and the recitation of the Creed. Intercessory prayers are offered for the Church, the world, the country, the parish and the family and especially for the victims of the Coronavirus. (The Family Prayer Service at home is attached. For those whose first language is Xhosa, the Hymnal Bongan’Inkosi offers a variety of Family Prayer Services. Please use them).

Catechism / Meetings: All catechism classes and meetings have been cancelled.

Sacramentals / Devotions: Stations of the Cross, the Rosary and other Devotional Practices are to be done privately. With Holy Mass being restricted only to the priests, members of the faithful are encouraged to increase their devotional practices at home and to ensure that the time one would normally spend at a liturgy is used in a fruitful and prayerful way.

Sacraments:

Confessions: Penitential services and private confessions are to be cancelled immediately. Our Holy Father announced during his morning Mass on Friday 20th March that “People who cannot get to confession because of the coronavirus lockdown or another serious reason can go to God directly, be specific about their sins, request pardon and experience God’s loving forgiveness. This is the right time, the opportune moment. An act of contrition done well, and our souls will become white like the snow,”

Anointing of the Sick: The President’s Lockdown states that all people are to stay in their homes except to go to a doctor’s appointment or to buy groceries. Old Age Homes and Hospitals have “locked down”, you therefore would not be able to gain access to parishioners requesting anointing. Please offer up a Mass for parishioners needing anointing. In extreme cases General Absolution is to be given.

Communion to the Sick: There will be no communion to the sick for the time being. All the aged, the infirm and the sick must be commended to our daily prayers.

Weddings and Funerals: All Weddings to be postponed until after the lockdown period.
All Funerals will only be held after the lockdown period.

Chrism Mass: The Chrism Mass will be presided by the Bishop with two or three Priests concelebrating and representing all the Clergy. It will take place on Tuesday 7th April 2020 at St. Luke’s Chapel. All priests, where possible are asked to celebrate their private Mass at the same time, renew their personal commitment to God and unite their prayers, intentions, minds and hearts with their Bishop on that day. Holy Oils will be available for collection and distributed after the lockdown period.

Easter Triduum: Please see DECREE Prot.N. 153/20 from the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 19th March 2020, attached. The reception of people from other denominations and administration of the sacraments of initiation in the form of RCIA normally done during the Easter Vigil will be transferred to a suitable Sunday of Easter.

Chancery: The Chancery offices will close on Thursday 26th March at 1pm to give staff members time to make provisions in their homes for the 21 days lockdown. During this time the secretary will be available online at home, please email: [email protected] ,to contact the Bishop please use the same email address.

I appeal to the laity of the Diocese to continue with their usual generous donations in the form of the weekly collections, pledges, planned giving and the Bishops Lenten Appeal during this time. The Diocese needs to continue to provide for the basic needs of retired Priests and assist those parishes which are not self-sufficient.

Pope Francis’s Prayer to Mary during Coronavirus Pandemic

O Mary, you always shine on our path as a sign of salvation and of hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm. You, Salvation of Your People, know what we need, and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee, we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.

Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God.
Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial,
but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Amen.

May God bless you all during this time.
Yours Sincerely in Christ
Bishop Vincent Mduduzi Zungu OFM

04/03/2020

_*MARCH 4TH 2020*_

_*WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT YEAR A*_

_*FIRST READING*_
_*JONAH 3:1-10*_

The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sack cloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sack cloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.

_*The Word of the Lord.*_

_*RESPONSORIAL PSALM*_
_Psalm 51:3-4,12-13,18-19 (R.) 19b_

_*R/. A broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn.*_

Have mercy on me, O God,
According to your merciful love;
According to your great compassion,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me completely from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. R/.

Create a pure heart for me, O God;
renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence;
take not your holy spirit from me. R/.

For in sacrifice you take no delight;
Burnt offering from me would not please you.
My sacrifice to God, a broken spirit:
A broken and humbled heart, O God, you will not spurn. R/.

_*VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL*_
_Joel 2:12-13_

Glory and praise to you, O Christ. Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, for I am gracious and merciful. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

_*GOSPEL*_
_*LUKE 11:29-32*_

At that time: When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the South will arise at the judgement with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

_The Gospel of the Lord._

*Meditation* Do you pay careful attention to warning signs? Many fatalities could be avoided if people paid attention to such signs. When the religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus, he gave them a serious warning to avert spiritual disaster. It was characteristic of the Jews that they demanded "signs" from God's messengers to authenticate their claims.

*God warns us for our good - do you listen?*
When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of a merciful God for the people of Nineveh.

Unfortunately the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the greatest sign of all - his resurrection on the third day.

*Let God's word of truth set you free from sin and ignorance*
The Lord Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit he pours his love into our hearts that we may understand his will for our lives and walk in his way of holiness. God searches our hearts, not to condemn us, but to show us where we need his saving grace and help. He calls us to seek him with true repentance, humility, and the honesty to see our sins for what they really are - a rejection of his love and will for our lives. God will transform us if we listen to his word and allow his Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom and truth.

James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of mind desire one thing alone - God's pleasure. God wants us to delight in him and to know the freedom of his truth and love. Do you thirst for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14)?

"Lord Jesus, change my heart and fill me with your wisdom that I my love your ways. Give me strength and courage to resist temptation and stubborn wilfulness that I may truly desire to do what is pleasing to you."

17/01/2020

_*JANUARY 17TH, 2020*_

_*FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME YEAR A*_

_*MEMORIAL OF SAINT ANTHONY, Abbot*_

_*FIRST READING*_
_*1 SAMUEL 8:4-7,10-22a*_

In those days: All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking a king from him. He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No! but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.”

_*The Word of the Lord.*_

_*RESPONSORIAL PSALM*_
_Psalm 89:16-19 (R. 2a)_

_*R/. I will sing forever of your mercies, O Lord.*_

How blessed the people who know your praise,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice their joyful acclaim. R/.

For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favour it is that our might is exalted.
Behold, the Lord is our shield;
he is the Holy One of Israel, our king. R/.

_*ALLELUIA*_
_LK 7:16_

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

_*GOSPEL*_
_*MARK 2: 1-12*_

When Jesus returned to Capemaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like this? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they questioned like this within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question like this in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”— he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

_The Gospel of the Lord._

*Meditation* Do you know the healing power of forgiveness and compassion? Jesus' treatment of sinners upset the religious teachers of the day. When a cripple was brought to Jesus because of the faith of his friends, Jesus did the unthinkable. He first forgave the man his sins. The scribes regarded this as blasphemy because they understood that only God had authority to forgive sins and to unbind a man or woman from their burden of guilt.

Jesus claimed an authority which only God could rightfully give. Jesus not only proved that his authority came from God, he showed the great power of God's redeeming love and mercy by healing the cripple of his physical ailment. This man had been crippled not only physically, but spiritually as well. Jesus freed him from his burden of guilt and restored his body as well. The Lord is every ready to bring us healing of body, mind, and spirit. Is there any area in your life that cripples you from walking in the freedom of Christ's transforming love and forgiveness?
Bishop Ambrose of Milan (339-397 AD), an early church father, explains how the healing of the paralytic points not only to Christ's power to heal the whole person, but also to raise the body to everlasting life as well:

But the Lord, wanting to save sinners, shows himself to be God both by his knowledge of secrets and by the wonder of his actions. He adds, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you'ï¿½ or to say, 'Rise and walk?'" In this passage he shows the full likeness of the resurrection. Alongside of healing the wounds of body and mind, he also forgives the sins of the spirit, removes the weakness of the flesh, and thus heals the whole person. It is a great thing to forgive people's sins - who can forgive sins, but God alone? For God also forgives through those to whom he has given the power of forgiveness. Yet it is far more divine to give resurrection to bodies, since the Lord himself is the resurrection. (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.12 13.5)
Do you believe in the healing transforming power of Christ's forgiveness and merciful love? Ask him to set you free and transform your mind and heart to be like his heart.
"Lord Jesus, through your merciful love and forgiveness you bring healing and restoration to body, soul, and mind. May your healing power and love touch every area of my life - my innermost thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and memories. Pardon my offenses and transform me in the power of your Holy Spirit that I may walk confidently in your love, truth, and righteousness."

Zim Catholics diocese of Port Elizabeth

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