Tuesday - March 29, 2022
TODAY'S READINGS
TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT
Lectionary: 245
Ez 47:1-9, 12
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.”
Responsorial Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
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 of God,
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.
Verse Before the Gospel Ps 51:12a, 14a
A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation.
Gospel Jn 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 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.
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WHAT NEEDS HEALING MOST?
In scripture, flowing water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Thus, today's first reading tells us that wherever the Holy Spirit flows, the people thrive and their faith multiplies and spreads. We need the flow of God's Spirit in our lives to overcome stubborn sinful tendencies and to become distributors of true faith.
This is more important than the healing of our bodies. In the Gospel passage, Jesus connects healing to holiness: "You have been cured. Give up your sins so that something worse may not overtake you." He is less concerned about the man's physical well-being than he is about his spiritual health.
I could tell you many stories about miraculous healings that I've experienced or witnessed, but is this really what matters? Often, while focusing on our need for physical healings, we forget to ask the Holy Spirit to help us with our need for spiritual healings. We want easy cures, not the painful work of purification.
Often, physical ailments are the results of spiritual ailments. However, even when there is no direct correlation between sin and illness, we must always remember that the need for physical healing -- while important -- is a lesser priority than the healing of our souls. At the time of death, we will leave behind the illnesses of the flesh, but we will carry the ailments of our souls into eternity, thus requiring purgatory for the completion of our healing.
The more we work on developing our holiness here and now, the healthier our souls become. Observe the alternative: By requesting a physical miracle without giving up our sins, something worse overtakes us: Our souls deteriorate, our lives fall apart, and we live in misery and loneliness. We blame others for our ills and brood in self-pity ("Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; someone else gets there before me.")
Every Mass holds multiple opportunities for healing. The prayers, the scriptures, the community with whom we gather, and the Eucharistic presence of Jesus all provide healing. The cure begins when we identify our sins and seek forgiveness. It reaches the high point when we earnestly declare, "Lord! I am indeed not worthy, but say the word, say yes to my repentance, and my soul truly shall be healed!"
The Eucharist is a communion with the Body of Christ, which means it heals division and brokenness within the Body of Christ, which means that to experience unity with Christ we must first forgive those who have sinned against us.
Thus our souls are healed by the time Mass ends. Every Mass is a healing service. Every moment of Mass is an encounter with Jesus the Healer through the power of the Holy Spirit who helps us overcome our sinful tendencies and leads us deeper into holiness.
Today's Prayer
Jesus, today I want to ask You for the grace of
every encounter with You in the Holy Eucharist to be a renewal of my friendship
with You and one more step on my path to holiness. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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