TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 5:1-16) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” (Jn 5:14)

FIRST READING - 47:1-9, 12

A reading from the Book of Ezekiel

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."

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 5:1-16

From the Gospel according to John

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.

TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - Gospel (John 5:1-16)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God tells the story of Jesus healing a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years at the pool of Bethsaida on the Sabbath.

After Jesus healed him, He said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you." This shows that the man was paralyzed because of his sin. When he sinned repeatedly, Satan took the opportunity to invade his body and wreak havoc, waiting for the right time to steal his soul. He was controlled by the devil for 38 years, which is a very long time. The devil can do everything except take life. They can make people sick, cause suffering in the mind and body, and even bring about death. They will defeat people when they do not live rightly, do not follow God's teachings, and do not walk on the path of light and truth.

Today's Word of God also shows us that when God wanted to heal the paralyzed man, He respectfully asked him, "Do you want to be well?" God desires to save and heal people, but He always respects their freedom. Therefore, whoever wants to be healed by God needs to cooperate and unite with Him. However, people today often do not want to cooperate with God, so He grants them their freedom. Therefore, anyone who is facing illnesses that cause pain in the soul and body—if they truly want to be healed by God and live a peaceful, happy life—should turn to God, the merciful Father, to ask Him to heal them, and to teach them to follow His instructions, so that Satan will no longer have the opportunity to attack their souls and bodies.

The Word of God in today's Gospel also speaks about the Jewish leaders keeping the law in a formal way. God is the master of the Sabbath. When He came to heal people's souls and bodies, bringing peace and love, He was condemned by the Jewish leaders. When the paralytic man, who had been suffering spiritually and physically for many years, was healed by God and freed from the yoke of Satan's death, the leaders were not happy. Instead, they condemned him: "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." This mat was the very thing he needed and had been with him throughout his paralysis. They kept the law in a formal way, prohibiting, condemning, and excluding their brothers. This is a wrong way of keeping the law—a way that does not please God.

Today, God also grants the grace of exorcism and healing to those chosen by Him, so they can help expel demons and heal the sick, both in body and soul. But these good deeds are often condemned, banned, and excluded by some members of the Church. These individuals are no different from the Jewish leaders of old: they also condemned and banned Jesus from healing on the Sabbath and forbade the paralyzed man, healed after 38 years, from carrying his bed on the Sabbath. Those who have thoughts and actions that are not in accordance with the true way of keeping God's law should examine their consciences. They should look within their hearts to see if they have kept the law of love, which is to love God above all things and to love their fellow human beings as themselves. Have they lived to please God?

God loves people, so He invites those who are being controlled by Satan and suffering in body and soul:

-Come to God, for He is the only One who has the power to heal and cast out demons.

-Come to God, for He alone has the power to heal and expel demons.

-Return and make peace with Him, and follow the path of light that God teaches.

-Do not sin anymore. As Jesus told the paralyzed man in the past, and as He teaches each of us: "Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you."

Thanks be to God. Amen.