Paralyzed by sin

The daily reading for Sunday, July 22, recounts the story of a paralytic lowered from the rooftop by his friends in order that Jesus might cure him and make him whole. Jesus tells him: your sins are forgiven, stand up, take up your mat and go home. Jesus knows that the burden of sin and the feelings of shame are what paralyze us and keep us from moving forward. Even those who have been told that what they have done is sin, I.e. dancing, drinking, etc and later have understood a different theology of sin, still carry around with them a certain amount of shame. Shame is paralyzingly unhelpful. I find that my male colleagues are particularly bitten by this bug. When we feel public ally shamed we are broken and desperately try to undo the shame that has been put upon us. I am thinking today about the family of a young man that burst into a movie theater and killed 28 people. We, as family members of those who have committed crimes, never really get over the feelings of public shame. Friends try not to mention it, others are curious and dreadfully rude, and still others look at our family and wonder what sort of family could produce this criminal. There are secrets, trials, prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, psychologists and psychiatrists and they all have their theories. The man arrested and accused of such things has baby pictures that hang on our walls, has been in our family and usually been a worry all of his existence. But the families are the silent ones. Who can defend the crime, or defend such a person who has done these things? There are so many victims of these type of crimes. Some have been shot, some have been in the event itself and other are innocent or unknowing bystanders who wounds are not spoken of but deep and paralyze us. Then some day another person will remindus that, it wasn't our crime and it wasn't our fault. It is a forgiveness that sets us all free. Jesus seemed particularly good about Defending those who were being publicly shamed and outcast from community. Restoring them to their new life and turning their sorrow into joy. It's just a thought.....