20230321 DO YOU WANT TO BE WELL AGAIN?
21 March 2023, Tuesday, 4th Week of Lent
First reading |
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12 © |
Wherever the water flows, it will bring life and health
The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. The man went to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross. He then said, ‘Do you see, son of man?’ He took me further, then brought me back to the bank of the river. When I got back, there were many trees on each bank of the river. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 45(46):2-3,5-6,8-9ab © |
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress,
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps50:12,14 |
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Gospel | John 5:1-3,5-16 © |
The healing at the pool of Bethesda
There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralysed – waiting for the water to move. One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.
Now that day happened to be the sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.’ He replied, ‘But the man who cured me told me, “Pick up your mat and walk.”’ They asked, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’ The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared into the crowd that filled the place. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, ‘Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus.
DO YOU WANT TO BE WELL AGAIN?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 47:1-9,12; PS 46:2-3,5-6,8-9; JOHN 5:1-16]
We are all in need of healing. We are all sick physically and wounded in different ways. We are broken emotionally and psychologically. Some of us are paralyzed spiritually by our bondage to sin, addiction to drugs, drink, smoking, bad habits and irregular relationships. Most of all, those suffering from rare illnesses or terminal sicknesses cannot find cure, even with the best medical facilities in the world. So it is not surprising that at a Jewish festival in Jerusalem, Jesus was surrounded by the sick. “Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralyzed.”
It is significant that the building is named “Bethzatha”, which means “House of mercy.” We are all in need of mercy. Many of us long for mercy, but mercy never came. Some of us are like the paralyzed man who waited almost a lifetime for someone to help him to receive God’s mercy. But he never had a chance, for he said, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.” We too could be in the same situation as this man. Something always gets in the way of our healing. For 38 years he waited, but he never gave up hope. Such was the perseverance of this man. How many of us would wait so long for God’s mercy? Most of us would have given up. But this man waited and waited for the time to come. Indeed, God comes to those who wait on Him. This is what the prophet says, “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa 40:31)
The scriptures tell us that the Lord comes to heal us. The question is, “Do you want to be well again?” This is an important question. Many of us, like the man, do not understand the full import of Jesus’ question. Like him, we are thinking of physical cure or short-term healing. He was more concerned, like all of us who are sick, with solving the problem, for he said; “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.” Most of us are concerned with short-term goals and immediate gratification of our needs.
But Jesus is more interested in granting us full healing of mind, body and spirit. Not only that, the healing that Jesus comes to give is permanent. When Jesus met him again, He warned him, “Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.” Clearly, the real healing that is needed is more the restoration of the soul. What we need is peace in our hearts through forgiveness and reconciliation. Many of our illnesses are caused by the failure to live an upright life. This man sought physical health. We do not realize that man is constituted of body and spirit. If the body is sick, the mind and spirit will also be sick. If the mind and spirit are sick, the body will also fall ill. Like him, so many desire only physical restoration, but we do not take care of our other needs. That is why Jesus warned him that he might be physically able to walk, but his spiritual health was even more important. The healing happened for him so that he could come to know God who alone can give life. What he needed most was to live a life without sin, a life that was free from selfish ambition, vices and self. Otherwise, even with physical health, he would not be happy. Some sick people with terminal illness are more at peace than those of us who are supposedly healthy but are full of anger, resentment, discontentment and hostile competition for power, wealth and power. So if we do not repent of our sins out of true reverence and love for God, at least the thought of hurting ourselves and/or our loved ones even more, should motivate us to avoid sin and self-destruction.
Within this context, the sacrament of baptism is for the full restoration of the human person. One is made a new creation. It must be noted that the Sheep Pool is a symbol of the Baptismal font for the catechumens. In entering the water, they are cleansed, renewed and restored. This is in fulfilment of the first reading when we read of the water of Arabah giving life to the Israelites. They were in exile and their temple was destroyed. They lost all hope and meaning in life. But the prophet assured them that the water would once again flow from the temple and become a river that gave life to every creature and plant. Once again, the land would be fertile and there would be life again. So too when we are baptized, we will be renewed with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Whereas the pool of Bethzatha only gave physical healing, baptism heals the soul through the Holy Spirit. Unlike the pool which could cure only one person each time, baptism cures all humanity purchased by the blood of Christ. It brings about the forgiveness of sins and the person is healed at its very core. He is given new life, peace and the joy of the Holy Spirit.
But baptism alone is not sufficient. Many are baptized but they do not grow in faith and most of all, in discipleship. True healing means coming to know Jesus. The man who was healed never bothered to find out the source of his healing. He took his healing for granted. So, too, when we are graced by God, be it in passing an exam, successfully finishing a project or cured of an illness, many of us never truly give thanks to God and reflect for ourselves what this means to us in terms of faith and life. It is important to know that we depend on God and He is our everything. Humility before God keeps us in our place so that none of us can become too arrogant or independent.
If we know that life and healing belong to God, then we should be seeking to know Jesus more and more so that we can live like Him. Many seek baptism, but do not like living the life of Christ. Baptism, just like confession, is not a matter of washing away our sins. It is not like going to a spiritual laundry. Baptism and confession entail a real desire to turn away from sin and our idols to follow Christ our Lord. Merely going through the ritual will not save us. Rather, we must draw near to Christ each day. We must come to the living water and draw life from Him, like the Samaritan woman. The prophet assures us that “Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. They will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.”
Furthermore, like the psalmist, in our struggle against sin, let us remember that “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” This is because “God is within, it cannot be shaken; God will help it at the dawning of the day. Come, consider the works of the Lord the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.” Alone, we cannot overcome the temptations of the Evil One, but since our baptism incorporates us into the body of Christ, with Him as our head, we can win the battle against sin and evil. We must allow God’s mercy and power to give us the strength to continue this fight against sin.
So all that is left now is for us to decide whether we want to allow God’s grace to work in and through us. If Jesus could give strength to a hopeless paralyzed man, surely, He can give hope to all of us. But we must “get up and walk”. We must cooperate with His grace. He wants to free us from the power of sin and death, but not without our consent. If we do not want to change and instead give excuses, like the man that no one helped him, then nothing is going to happen. God has sent many people and prophets to us. He has given us this season of Lent to come to self-awareness and repentance. If we are serious about getting well again, then we need to get up and start walking towards Jesus. Observing the Sabbath does not mean doing nothing, as what the religious leaders thought and taught. Observing the Sabbath means to continue doing good, giving life and acting for God every moment of our lives. So do not delay any longer. No more lame excuses. Go to Jesus for healing now, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or say ‘yes’ to Jesus in the Sacrament of Baptism.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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