Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 245
Lectionary: 245
The angel brought me, Ezekiel,
back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the right side.
Then when he had walked off to the east
with a measuring cord in his hand,
he measured off a thousand cubits
and had me wade through the water,
which was ankle-deep.
He measured off another thousand
and once more had me wade through the water,
which was now knee-deep.
Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade;
the water was up to my waist.
Once more he measured off a thousand,
but there was now a river through which I could not wade;
for the water had risen so high it had become a river
that could not be crossed except by swimming.
He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?”
Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.
Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.
He said to me,
“This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the right side.
Then when he had walked off to the east
with a measuring cord in his hand,
he measured off a thousand cubits
and had me wade through the water,
which was ankle-deep.
He measured off another thousand
and once more had me wade through the water,
which was now knee-deep.
Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade;
the water was up to my waist.
Once more he measured off a thousand,
but there was now a river through which I could not wade;
for the water had risen so high it had become a river
that could not be crossed except by swimming.
He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?”
Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.
Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.
He said to me,
“This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
R. (8) The
Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city ofGod
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem
Now there is inJerusalem
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.
Now there is in
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.
Meditation: "Walk and sin no more"
Is there anything holding you back from
the Lord's healing power and transforming grace that can set you free to live
in wholeness, joy, and peace with God? God put into the heart of the prophet
Ezekiel a vision of the rivers of living water flowing from God's heavenly
throne to bring healing and restoration to his people. We begin to see the
fulfillment of this restoration taking place when the Lord Jesus announces the
coming of God's kingdom and performs signs and miracles in demonstration of the
power of that kingdom.
One of the key signs which John points out
in his Gospel account takes place in Jerusalem when Jesus went up to the temple
during one of the great Jewish feasts (John 5:1-9). As Jesus approached the
temple area he stopped at the pool of Bethzatha which was close by. Many Jews
brought their sick relatives and friends to this pool. John tells us that a
"multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed" were laid there on
the pavement surrounding the pool (John 5:3). This pool was likely one of the
ritual baths used for purification for people before they went into the temple
to offer prayers and sacrifice. On certain occassions, especially when the waters
were stirred, the lame and others with diseases were dipped in the pool in the
hope that they might be cured of their ailments.
The lame man that Jesus stopped to speak
with had been paralyzed for more than 38 years. He felt helpless because he had
no friends to help him bathe in the purifying waters of the pool. Despite his
many years of unaswered prayer, he still waited by the pool in the hope that
help might come his way. Jesus offered this incurable man not only the prospect
of help but total healing as well. Jesus first awakened faith in the paralyzed
man when he put a probing question to him, "Do you really want to be healed?"
This question awakened a new spark of faith in him. Jesus then ordered him to
"get up and walk!" Now the lame man had to put his new found faith
into action. He decided to take the Lord Jesus at his word and immediately
stood up and began to walk freely.
The Lord Jesus approaches each one of us
with the same probing question, "Do you really want to be healed - to be
forgiven, set free from guilt and sin, from uncontrollable anger and other
disordered passions, and from hurtful desires and addictions. The first
essential step towards freedom and healing is the desire for change. If we are
content to stay as we are, then no amount of coaxing will change us. The Lord
will not refuse anyone who sincerely askes for his pardon, mercy, and healing.
"Lord Jesus, put within my heart a
burning desire to be changed and transformed in your way of holiness. Let your
Holy Spirit purify my heart and renew in me a fervent love and desire to do
whatever is pleasing to you and to refuse whatever is contrary to your will."
The Desire to be Cured
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
John 5:1-16
There was a feast of the
Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem Jerusalem Temple
Introductory Prayer: 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.
Petition: Lord, help me to be humble of heart so you will heal
me.
1. Christ´s Power is Stronger: The man in the Gospel was ill for 38 years. His
sickness serves as an example of a life of sin. In 1 John 2:16 we read about a
triple spiritual sickness: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the
pride of life.” However, not even a sickness persisting for 38 years is able to
escape Jesus’ curing power. Christ’s power is stronger still. We should
therefore take hope, for no sickness, no sin – or life of sin – is too great
for him to cure. All that is needed is that we turn to him with a humble and
contrite heart: “Lord, I am not worthy, but only say the word and I shall be
healed.”
2. Revealing Our Weaknesses: Nothing is impossible for Christ. He can heal the
sick; he can also forgive their sins, as he forgives the paralytic who is
lowered from a rooftop (Cf. Mark 2:1-12). All it takes is for this sick man to
reveal his weakness – and he does so with detail, like a true confession: how
he has attempted to enter the pool, how as he has tried, someone else has
beaten him to it. Perhaps without this detailed account of his failure, he
might not have been cured. The sick man’s admitting both his personal weakness
and desire to plunge into the pool moves Jesus to compassion. This is the
remedy to all of our illnesses: presenting ourselves to Christ as we truly are,
with all of our weakness, and thus moving him to compassion.
3. Go and Sin No More: Jesus says,
“Look, you are well, do not sin anymore.” It would be a pity if this man, who
is deeply moved by Jesus and made whole, afterwards dedicates himself to a life
of vice. From the Gospel passage, it would seem that Jesus has cured him in
order to allow him to utilize his time and energy for the benefit of the
Kingdom: Christ warns the sick man that if he misuses his new health, he could
be worse off than before. Hopefully, his healing will produce a conversion and
make him a herald of the Kingdom. This happens also in the sacrament of
reconciliation: After forgiving our sins, Christ tells us, “Go in peace and
proclaim to the world the wonderful works of God who has brought you
salvation.”
Conversation with Christ: O Jesus, the only way that I can be like the man at
the pool of Bethesda is to be grateful for the gifts you have given me, to
fight against a life of sin, and to clothe myself with the “new man.” I am
ready to embrace your will with love, even if this means dying to myself.
Resolution: As Easter approaches, I will humbly recognize my
sinfulness and seek God’s healing grace in the sacrament of confession.
PRIL FOOL'S DAY
Ancient cultures, including those as varied as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated New Year's Day on April 1, which closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or March 21st.). In medieval times, much of
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." - Mark Twain
TUESDAY, APRIL 1, JOHN 5:1-16
Lenten Weekday
(Ezekiel 47:1-9; Psalm 46)
KEY VERSE: "Rise, take up your mat, and walk" (v 8).
REFLECTING: In what ways do I need to "rise and walk" this Lent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, heal me of everything that makes me weak and unable to walk in your grace.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
Welcoming Community
To
be Catholic calls a community to welcome all people, regardless of their human
circumstances. It demands that we reach out with love for everyone, neighbors
next door and on the far side of the world—to care without borders.
April 1
St. Hugh ofGrenoble
(1052-1132)
St. Hugh of
(1052-1132)
Today’s saint could be a patron for those of us who feel so
overwhelmed by all the problems in the world that we don’t know where to begin.
Hugh, who served
as a bishop in France
Ironically, Hugh
was reasonably effective in the role of reformer—surely because of his devotion
to the Church but also because of his strong character. In conflicts between
Church and state he was an unflinching defender of the Church. He fearlessly
supported the papacy. He was eloquent as a preacher. He restored his own
cathedral, made civic improvements in the town and weathered a brief exile.
Hugh may be best
known as patron and benefactor of St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusian Order.
Hugh died in
1132. He was canonized only two years later.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN
5,1-16
Lectio:
Tuesday, April
1, 2014
Lent
Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
you have quenched our thirst for life
with the water of baptism.
Keep turning the desert of our arid lives
into a paradise of joy and peace,
that we may bear fruits
of holiness, justice and love.
Lord, hear our prayer
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
you have quenched our thirst for life
with the water of baptism.
Keep turning the desert of our arid lives
into a paradise of joy and peace,
that we may bear fruits
of holiness, justice and love.
Lord, hear our prayer
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING
There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem Jerusalem next to the Sheep Pool there is
a pool called Bethesda
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
that 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 down there before
me.' Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around.' The man
was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and started to walk around.
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 sleeping-mat and walk around." ' They asked, 'Who
is the man who said to you, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk
around"? ' The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared, as
the place was crowded.
After a while Jesus met him in the Temple
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 harass Jesus.
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel describes Jesus who cures the
paralytic who had waited 38 years for someone to help him get to the water of
the pool so as to be healed! Thirty-eight years! Before this total absence of
solidarity, what does Jesus do? He transgresses the law of Saturday and cures
the paralytic. Today, in poor countries, assistance to sick persons is lacking,
people experience the same lack of solidarity. They live in total abandonment,
without help or solidarity from anyone.
• John 5, 1-2: Jesus goes to Jerusalem Jerusalem Temple Temple Temple Temple Temple
• John 5, 3-4: The situation of the sick.
These sick people were attracted by the water of the bathing resort. They said
that an angel would disturb the water and the first one who would enter after
the angel disturbed the water, would be cured. In other words, the sick people
were attracted by a false hope. Healing was only for one person. Just as the
lottery today. Only one person gets the prize! The majority pays and wins nothing.
Precisely, in this situation of total abandonment, in the public baths, Jesus
meets the sick people.
• John 5, 5-9: Jesus cures a sick man on
Saturday. Very close to the place where the observance of the Law of God was
taught, a paralytic had been there for 38 years, waiting for someone who would
help him to go down to the water to be cured. This facts reveals the total lack
of solidarity and of acceptance of the excluded! Number 38 indicated the
duration of a whole generation (Dt 2, 14). It is a whole generation which does
not succeed to experience solidarity, or mercy. Religion at that time, was not
capable to reveal the welcoming and merciful face of God. In the face of this
dramatic situation Jesus transgresses the law of Saturday and takes care of the
paralytic saying: “Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around!” The man
picked up his mat and started to walk around among the people.
• John 5, 10-13: Discussion of the cured man
with the Jews. Immediately after, some Jews arrived and criticized the man who
was carrying his sleeping mat on a Saturday. The man did not know who the one
who had cured him was. He did not know Jesus. This means that Jesus passing by
that place where the poor and the sick were saw that person; he perceived the
dramatic situation in which he was and cured him. He does not cure him to
convert him, neither so that he would believe in God. He cures him because he
wants to help him. He wanted him to experience some love and solidarity through
his help and loving acceptance.
• John 5, 14-16: The man meets Jesus again.
Going to the Temple
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Have I ever had an experience similar to
that of the paralytic: to remain for some time without any help? How is the
situation regarding assistance to the sick in the place where you live? Do you
perceive any signs of solidarity?
• What does this teach us today?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
God is both refuge and strength for us,
a help always ready in trouble;
so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil,
though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe,
and the mountains totter as it heaves. (Ps 46,1-3)
a help always ready in trouble;
so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil,
though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe,
and the mountains totter as it heaves. (Ps 46,1-3)
