Homily: March 29, 2022, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent.

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 “Do you want to be well?”
I used to wonder why Jesus asked this question. The man had been paralyzed and trying his luck at entering the pool for so many years, of course he wanted to be well, right? It was much later that I understood the deeper significance of this question.
When I was in India, I knew of a man who was always complaining about his poor health, yet he never took any medicine seriously. He simply wanted the sympathy of others. He wanted to be pitied, not to be well.
There are beggars who want to keep begging. They beg not because there is no work for them but because they do not want to change their situation.
And there are people who live with their addictions and lament about their poor circumstances, yet they reject all help to improve their lives. They have become psychologically comfortable with their condition and are used to lamenting about it.
Deep down, they do not want change. They do not want to be well - physically, spiritually, emotionally.
Jesus asked the paralysed man, “Do you want to be well?” It was a straightforward question, either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ would be the response. But he did not answer the question, instead he complained about his pitiful state, his lack of help, unfortunate circumstances, and disadvantage in getting into the pool.
Does this sound familiar? Are there areas in your life that need healing?
After healing, things would change, your life would become different, are you willing?
Lent is a season for change, for betterment of ourselves especially spiritually, to overcome the enslavement from our circumstances. And our Lord is ready to help us, to heal us, to deliver us.
Close your eyes and listen with your heart… Jesus is asking, “Do you want to be well?”


Comments

  1. TL8 April 2022 at 03:44

    yes Jesus, I need and want to be well! Please help and heal me in my weaknesses and waywardness.

    ReplyDelete

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 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"  In today’s gospel event, when Jesus saw the woman ‘crippled by a spirit’, he immediately healed her, telling her she is set free. He saw her physical state, but He also saw the spiritual bondage which shows up in her physical infirmity. Her physical impairment is a result of sin. But when we look at Jesus on the cross, physically crippled by human cruelty and evil, it shows up our spiritual infirmity. Jesus’ physical deformity is a result of our sin. When we see Jesus on the cross, we see God, fully human and we also see man, fully divine. Physically He is nailed to the cross, but spiritually, he is free. Jesus shows us how we too can live free and live fully.  St. Paul said it plainly in the first reading, by calling God, “Abba, Father!” To imitate Jesus in the way he lives, as sons and daughters of the Father, exercising the ...
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 "It is my desire, then, that in every place, men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument." What a beautiful vision St. Paul had! Imagine if all people are prayerful and peaceful, no anger, no argument. The world would really be perfect. It is through prayerfulness that we learn to be deeply peaceful people, and I too desire to attain this. My papa and grandma were two great examples of prayerfulness for me.  Grandma was completely blind before I was born and she was living in my home. In my memory, she prayed the rosary all the time and she would spend hours reciting all the other prayers daily which she had memorized by heart. I have never seen her forgetting her prayers or skipping her rosary for even one day. My papa, too, had always kept a regular and consistent prayer routine. He read the Bible and devoted a good amount of time for prayer on a daily basis. I also do not recall seeing him miss a single day of his beautiful habit. I do regret though ...
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Today’s second reading ends with this powerful phrase: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Today we celebrate two beautiful events: the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity and Father’s Day. So, happy Father’s Day to all our fathers, grandfathers, fathers-to-be and godfathers! My siblings and I are incredibly blessed to have had a good Christian father who fulfilled his duties both as a father and as a Catholic. My papa was a very quiet, resilient, yet very gentle person. He loved and protected all his seven children, physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually. He taught us the faith and was a great model of the traditions. He made sure we never missed Sunday Mass and took us regularly to Confession. I was very much a “dad’s boy”, working with him daily on the farm, taking care of the animals together with him. He didn’t worry much about school grades, but he was very firm and strict with us re...
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Homily: Tuesday of the Tenth week in Oridnary Time (Salt lose taste)

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