Daily Reflection for Tuesday, March 24, 2020
God’s Peace and Blessings Be With You,
We encourage you to reflect on Tuesday’s scripture readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032420.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
Responsorial: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Gospel: John 5: 1-16
Our reflection on Tuesday’s readings:
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?” John 5:6
The man had been ill for 38 years, and was so ill that he needed help to just move around. Was it really necessary to ask him, “Do you want to be well?” But that wasn’t a foolish question. The man could have responded that he simply wanted help getting into the pool. Did he just want help getting into the pool? Did he want the stranger to try to heal him? The man had been ill for so long. Had he lost hope? Did he fear the inevitable self-reliance if he was healed?
I’ve faced the type of decision posed by Jesus. I sin . . . and I regret my behavior. How would I respond if God gave me a choice and asked me, “Bill, do you want me to forgive your sin – or do you want me to heal you? Do you want to be well?” What do I choose . . . a temporary bandage or a permanent solution?
As I look back over my life, I realize that I’ve committed some sins more than once. Rather than change a bad habit, I’ve found myself opting for self-indulgence. But, knowing that I’ve sinned, I go to God. I don’t want to hurt someone, and I don’t want to disappoint myself -- and God. I see my sin and I feel my guilt. I want and need forgiveness.
But asking God to make me well . . . to permanently heal me . . . means committing myself to real change. It means losing my self-centeredness and giving God fuller control of my life. At this time of international crisis, we’re all asking God for healing . . . for miracles. We want to be well. We want social divisions to be healed. Hopefully, this story will remind all of us to have hope, to believe in the very real power of prayer, and to remember that with God’s help, personal change is a real possibility for all of us!
And by changing ourselves, we’ve taken the first step in changing the world!
Peace, my friends,
Bill Bradbury