“Whether I receive good or ill, I return thanks equally to God, who taught me always to trust him unreservedly.”
READ: JOHN 5:1–18
Some time after this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people — blind, lame, paralyzed — waiting for the water to move; for at intervals the angel of the Lord came down into the pool, and the water was disturbed, and the first person to enter the water after this disturbance was cured of any ailment he suffered from. One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, “Do you want to be well again?” “Sir,” replied the sick man, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.” Jesus said, “Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.” The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.
Now that day happened to be the sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.” He replied, “But the man who cured me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” They asked “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared into the crowd that filled the place. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, “Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.” The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus. His answer to them was, “My Father goes on working, and so do I.” But that only made the Jews even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.
YOUR THREE-STEP GUIDE TO DAILY MENTAL PRAYER
REFLECT
This man had been ill for thirty-eight years. It seems from Jesus’ later comment when they meet in the Temple that his own sins had been the cause of his illness. It was an illness that made him an invalid, helpless and incapable of contributing to the society around him. And to top it all off, he was a lonely man. He didn’t have any friend or family member who could help him down to the pool after the stirring of the waters. And then one day, a young rabbi comes up to him. He squats down beside him, looks into his eyes, and asks him if he wants to be cured. Jesus is always taking the initiative in our lives. He knows what we need more than we do. He knows how much we have suffered and how our sins have damaged our souls. He comes to heal and renew us.
The sick man: Of course I wanted to be cured. That’s why I was still waiting at the pool. It seemed an odd question to me. So I looked up at this man. I looked into His eyes as I told Him that I wasn’t fast enough to make it to the healing waters. What I said didn’t seem to matter. He looked at me intently but gently. I don’t know how else to describe it. And then He seemed to smile, and there was a fire in His eyes. And He told me to get up, pick up my sleeping mat, and walk. I thought to myself, “Doesn’t He see that I can’t get up, that I can’t carry anything, let alone my sleeping mat? I can’t even walk! Doesn’t He see me?” For thirty-eight years I had been lame, unable to do any of those things, and this man was telling me to stand up. It was a crazy thing to say. But His eyes weren’t crazy. He just kept looking at me intently. I was going to tell Him what a crazy idea it was, but His eyes wouldn’t let me. Somehow, the fire in His eyes kindled one in my own, and all of a sudden, I knew that I just had to do what He was telling me. But how could I? I had to try. Even as part of me objected — it was such an absurd thing that He was saying — I couldn’t help but start to hope. And He kept looking at me and, well, I don’t know how it happened, but I just started to get up, and all of a sudden, I could. And then I picked up my mat. And I started walking. After thirty-eight years! I turned to thank Him — but He was gone.
RESPOND
Why didn’t the leaders of Jerusalem believe in You? They saw Your miracles, but even that couldn’t pry their hearts away from their self-centeredness. It seems so unreasonable. And yet can I say that my faith is robust and confident? Am I not like those leaders, unable to free myself from my self-centeredness, in spite of all You have done for me? Teach me, Lord, to do Your will. Increase my faith.
Many times, the little things You ask me to do seem impossible. How can I be patient and kind to people who irritate me, who are ungrateful? How can I overcome the repugnance I feel sometimes in the face of my responsibilities? How can I simply trust You when so many things go wrong and nothing seems to work? Lord, I believe in You. If you tell me to get up and walk, I will. Thy will be done.
REST
I want to be as generous as You are, Lord. You saw this man, knew his suffering, and came to his rescue. You have made me Your ambassador; You want me to do the same for everyone around me. You want me to keep my eyes open for opportunities to serve, help, and do good. You want me to make that my obsession, as it was Yours. Give me Your grace, Lord, so that I, too, can “go on working.”
RESOLVE
How can I carry this encounter with me into the day? (Write / Journal)
CLOSING PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Most Blessed and Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank You for Your love and Your grace in allowing me this time of prayer with You.
The world, the flesh, and the devil will all propose things I should focus on and run after today. I beg You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me instead to know and embrace Your will. Help me to see what You desire of me each moment of this day. Give me the wisdom, strength, and fortitude I need to avoid distractions, discern Your will, and focus on and carry out that which Wisdom reveals. Help me to work and live at a pace of peace and prayerfulness, always attentive to You, able to hear Your voice and to say no to anything that hinders my journey to You and a complete yes to every Holy prompting from You.
Help me to humbly and purposefully live, light, and lead others to the path of union with You and to tell everyone about this way of life. Amen.
About the Author
Fr. John Bartunek was ordained in 2003. He has taught moral theology at various ecclesiastical institutions at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and has authored many books, including the Gospel companion, The Better Part, and Inside the Passion, the only authorized behind-the-scenes look at the film, for which he provided on-set spiritual support. His online retreat guides are available in multiple formats at RCSpirituality.org. Fr. John currently resides in Atlanta, where he is serving as territorial vicar for the Legionaries of Christ.
