When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Courage child, your sins are forgiven.”

Grace is God saying, “I love the world too much to let your sin define you and be the final word.” It’s that kind of grace that Jesus offers the paralytic in today’s Gospel. It’s the grace that reassures us that God loves us despite ourselves. The grace that opens us to a hope for our lives that we dared not imagine.

God, let us realize the meaning and the purpose of a life of service and giving, utilizing whatever physical abilities we have. Instill in us the grace that inspires hope, despite the challenges that limit us.