Do you see how he is shown to be Creator of both souls and bodies? He heals the paralysis in both soul and body. The healing of the soul is made evident through the healing of the body, even while the body still remains a creature crawling on the ground. The crowds were slow to recognize who he was: “When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to humans.” … He proceeded by his daily actions to arouse them and lift up their thinking. It would have been no small thing for him to be thought greater than all others, as having come from God. If they had established this adequately in their own minds, they would have known in due order that he was indeed the Son of God. But they did not grasp these things clearly. Because of this they did not come close to recognizing who he was. For again they were saying, “This man is not from God! How can this man be from God?” Their minds churned over these statements continuously. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
