HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT.
THEME: The healing at the pool of Bethesda.( ‘Do you want to be well again?’)
BY: Fr. Deotacious Chikontwe SMA.
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12
Psalm 45:2-3,5-6,8-9
John 5:1-3,5-16
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
PURPLE
*FROM OUR FIRST READING*
In our first reading today, we heard about the vision of the Temple of God in Heaven, the great Sanctuary which represents the Lord’s glory and presence, and from which came forth a great river and flood of water that went down from the side of the Temple, which provided life for many of the things. This vision of Ezekiel is a reminder that from God comes healing and hope for all of us. He is truly the source of our strength and redemption, and from Whom we shall once again be reconciled and be led to the path towards eternal life and true joy.
RELATED: HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT.
*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
The question Jesus asks the paralyzed man in this morning’s gospel reading can seem strange to our ears, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ Surely, the answer to that question is obvious. Why wouldn’t a man who had been paralyzed for many years want to be well again? However, this may have been Jesus’ way of entering into a genuine dialogue with this stricken man. Rather than just heal him without reference to him, as it were, Jesus engaged him in a personal way. He didn’t presume to know what the man wanted, even though it might have seemed obvious. Jesus allowed him to articulate his own desire. Jesus’ question led the man to reveal something about himself; he told Jesus something of his own story. It appears as if he was very isolated in his illness, with no friends who would lower him into the water at the appropriate time. The man revealed something of what had been going on in his life, in response to Jesus’ question.
*CONCLUSION*
There was a truly human exchange between Jesus and this man, before Jesus told him to pick up his sleeping mat and walk. Jesus didn’t serve people in a detached, remote way. He engaged with them in a respectful way, in a manner that took them seriously as human beings and that invited them to share something of their story. In so doing, he shows us how we are to relate to one another. He also reveals how he wants to relate to each one of us. He invites us too to open our hearts to him, to tell him our story. The telling of our story to the Lord creates a space for him to work powerfully in and through our lives.
The Lord be with You!
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