Daily Reflection – 3/12/2024
Sacred Scripture
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 any more, 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. (John 5:1-16)
Reflection
The story begins in Bethesda. A man, infirmed for thirty-eight years, lying on a mat, waiting for change yet not knowing how to grasp it. Jesus poses the question, “Do you want to be well?” Fast forward over two millennia, and that question, “Do you want to be well?” is asked of us today.
Like the man on the mat, many of us feel left behind, weighed down by personal tragedies or the violence of the world. Our souls may feel numb, our actions performed out of routine rather than conviction—stuck on our own mats, both despising and being accustomed to them.
Healing begins with a desire, an acknowledgement of one’s condition, and a thirst for transformation. It’s about confronting our spiritual barrenness—admitting we may have actions and responses that make us look like a Christian but lack the fire of genuine faith. It’s recognizing that going to church is not enough unless the Church is within us.
We’re prompted to look within ourselves and answer honestly if we’ve truly forgave those we ought to have forgiven, if we’ve genuinely responded with the love that is expected of us. It’s about building a relationship with Jesus that quenches our spiritual drought and invites enthusiasm into our hearts, exclaiming, “Yes, Jesus, I trust in you!”
Miracles are not only about physical healing; they’re also about spiritual rejuvenation. Jesus invites us to participate in our healing, to contribute even the smallest act of faith towards the miracle. This Lenten season, are we allowing Jesus to stir in us whatever lies dormant, to heal our ‘spiritual paralysis’?
To move beyond our paralysis is to step into the marvels that await us. Healing is not passive; it’s a walk alongside the Lord, a pilgrimage through the soul.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, I look to you with faith, knowing that you are the Lord of all. I hope in your boundless mercy since without you I can do nothing. I want to love as you deserve, so I come to you in this prayer to console you and bring you the joy of this moment together. Help me to be humble of heart so you will heal me.”
Daily Note
Our spiritual wellness is incumbent on the active pursuit of faith, a conscious effort to engage with the merciful, healing presence of Jesus Christ. Do you want to be healed? Trust in Jesus, move off your mat, and you may just find yourself walking on a path paved with grace, leading towards a restored, vibrant life in Him.
