Fr Paul reads the Gospel from Luke (5: 17-26), in which Jesus forgives and heals the paralysed man. Fr Paul says the striking part of today’s Gospel is not the cure of the man, but the forgiveness of sins inserted into the middle of this Gospel. In Gospel times to be a paralytic is to be simply bed-ridden because they believe only God can forgive. Yet, they are in the presence of someone who claims to do what only God can do so it is no wonder that the Pharisees and scribes are shocked and start to think and argue. Jesus has always acted with authority and now he claims an authority that is specifically divine. He forgives the man his sins and tells him to get up out of bed and go home. As this second week of our Advent journey begins, Fr Paul invites us to reflect on these questions, ‘Do I recognise the divine authority of Jesus? And further, what sins do I need Jesus to forgive?’