Tuesday - March 21, 2023
TODAY'S READINGS
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 245
Reading I
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
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
A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation.
Gospel
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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Dare to Care
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus faces an important decision when he notices a man who’s been sick for 38 years. Should he protect himself from being rejected, ridiculed, and persecuted for breaking the religious law about not working on the Sabbath? Or should he respond to the man’s suffering and work a healing?
The lame man did not ask Jesus for a healing. It was entirely Jesus’ decision. Apparently, the poor guy hadn’t heard of Jesus yet, as evidenced by his reply about needing someone to put him into the pool.
Why did Jesus focus on this man amidst a crowd of many who were ill, blind, lame, and crippled? Maybe he’d been sick the longest. Maybe he had more love for God than the others did. Maybe the Father had a special plan for his life. We don’t know, but whatever the reason, Jesus recognized his need and readiness to be healed, and so he decided to take the initiative and reach out to the man.
We don’t know why Jesus picks any of us out of the crowd. When he takes the initiative to give us any gift, healing, vocation or other blessing, all we can do is trust in his wisdom and accept what he does and praise him for being so good to us.
Jesus knew the ramifications of inviting the lame man to receive his healing gift: Both he and the man would be condemned as sinners. Have you ever been in that kind of a situation? Jesus helps you but it creates a reaction from others that ruins your joy? Or being the hands of Jesus, by responding to the needs of others, backfires with stinging criticism?
This is compassionate love — being united to the Passion of Christ. In compassion, we contact the authorities when we see children being abused, even though their parents might retaliate. In compassion, we take meals to a sick neighbor, even though his illness is making him cranky and he’s likely to lash out at us. In compassion, we speak up for someone who’s been misunderstood and rejected, even though we’ll become the next target of condemnation. In compassion, we advocate for employees who are being ill-treated by their bosses, even though we’ll be disdained or fired or blacklisted for stirring up trouble.
Right? Well, never think that God won’t take care of you if you work this hard for his kingdom!
To do less is unChrist-like. When we get nailed for doing good deeds, we are truly being like Jesus. We’re taking our compassion all the way to the cross. Actually, it’s Christ’s compassion. Our compassion is his. Our crosses are his. We are intimately united to him when we suffer for the sake of love.
Dare to follow your heart to where others need the caring touch of Jesus. Look for opportunities to be Jesus for others in ways that you’ve avoided before. Stretch your ability to face the cross, because you love others that much.
Today's Prayer
Praise be to You, my Lord, because You gave Yourself to save our souls. Give me the grace to imitate You with bold charity. Amen.
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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