Gospel: John 5:1-16
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,
“Do you want to be well?”
The sick man answered him,
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.
Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
“It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”
He answered them, “The man who made me well told me,
‘Take up your mat and walk.’“
They asked him,
“Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
“Look, you are well; do not sin anymore,
so that nothing worse may happen to you.”
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is available.
Reflection:
A few members made some proposals to their group. The proposals were meant to improve how the group could serve its members and the wider community. The proposals were welcomed and approved. Sadly, when it was implemented, some members did not commit themselves to the changes they have initially approved and left everything for their leaders to sort out. Some were not even happy with the changes that they left the group. The ones who were left remained faithful and carried on with the changes.
In today’s Gospel, we see how two kinds of people respond to the change that Jesus offers. On one hand, we have a man who was ill for thirty-eight years. On the other, we have the Jews. While the sick man welcomed Jesus’ healing, the Jews rejected it and “began to persecute Jesus because He did this on a sabbath.” The sick man’s obedience made it possible for him to be healed by the Lord. He became freed from the grip of his illness. By being cured, Jesus reminded him “do not sin anymore”. The Jew’s rigidity prevented them from seeing Christ making all things new (Apocalypse 21:5). Going by the book, they missed the opportunity to live in the freedom as children of God. This Lent let us take time to reflect on the newness – healing, reconciliation, eternal life, salvation – that Jesus brings to everyone who would open their hearts to Him.
- How can you become more open to the newness that Jesus brings to your life?
- What prevents you from opening your heart fully to Jesus?
- How can you encourage others to “open wide the doors for Christ” (St John Paul II)?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Free us from whatever holds us back from opening our hearts to welcome the newness You bring. Amen.
Suggested Lenten penance: Slowly recite and reflect on the Apostles’ Creed.
(Pietro)
