For thirty-eight years, the man reported in today’s Gospel has been lying by the pool. He is not only paralyzed in body, but also in hope. He waits for someone to immerse him in the water. He waits for an opportunity. He waits for life to change from the outside. Jesus approaches and asks him a disarming and disconcerting question: “Do you want to be healed?” Sometimes we get used to our wounds or our sins; we identify with them, they become part of our history, almost a security.
Awaken
In this period of Lent, the Lord reaches us precisely where we have been stuck for years. Not to accuse us, but to awaken us. Healing begins when we stop saying, “I have no one” and accept that He is already there. “Get up, take up your mat, and walk.” This is a divine instruction. Do not get too comfortable or relaxed in a particular sin. Get up and take decisive action. Leave your “comfort zone” and break camp. It is not just “get up” but take what has kept you on the ground and make a move. Not to go back, but to remember where you were raised from. Lent is the time to make this passage: from resignation to responsibility, from passive waiting to a concrete step. Christ is not a spectacular magician, but he comes to restore dignity, to set you back on your feet.
Do you want to be healed?
Pope Francis, commenting on the Gospel passage we read today, once wrote: “It is beautiful how Jesus always says this to us: ‘Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be happy? Do you want to improve your life? Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you want to be healed from your sin?’ […] Believing in Jesus is taking life as it is and moving forward with joy, without complaints, without letting yourself be paralyzed by the ugly sin of sloth”.
Today the Lord says to each of us: ‘Get up, take your life as it is, beautiful, ugly as it is, take it and go forward. Do not be afraid, go forward with your stretcher’ – ‘Do you want to be healed?’, is the first question that the Lord asks us today? And if we say to the Lord ‘Yes, I want to be healed. Yes, Lord, help me to get up’, then we will experience what the joy of salvation is.
Prayer
Lord, you who reach out to me in my immobility, grant me the courage to get up and walk in the freedom you offer me. Amen!
Amen! 🙏
Nice reflection.
Thank you for your comment. I wish you a continued fruitful Lenten journey. Stay blessed!
Healing indeed begins with us believe, moving on might not be easy but it is necessary
Indeed, it is necessary to always move on. Forward ever! May God’s grace abide with us.
“Get up,do not be afraid and go forward with your stretcher”🥺😩 That’s already one of the biggest encouragement!And yes I will!
Thank you for your comment. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
“Do not be afraid,go forward with your stretcher” 🥺😩 that’s a big encouragement and yes! Forward i will!