EZ 47: 1-9, 12
PS 46: 2-3, 5-6, 8-9
PS 51: 12A, 14A
JN 5: 1-16
The Struggle to “Be Well”
In the Gospel for today, Jesus asks the
simple question to a disabled man, “Do you want to be well?” Rather than answering Jesus directly, he
tells Jesus of the predicament of reaching the healing pools before others get
their opportunity to do so. Jesus then
relieves all of this man’s worries by saying to “Rise, take up your mat, and
walk.” This is a classic telling of
Jesus healing one of his people with nothing but touch (or in this case,
words). Yet there is much power held in
that one question that Jesus asks. “Do you want to be well?”
My name is Zayna Abusada, and I am a
senior here at SLU studying history and theology. As of this moment, I have about two months
until I go off into the yet unknown and graduate from a place I’ve called home
for four years. As such, I have asked
myself many questions like the one Jesus asks the disabled man: Do you want to
be well? For me, this does not
necessarily mean physically well. This
is instead Jesus asking us if we want to be spiritually well in our minds,
hearts, and souls. Do we, as children of
Him, truly want to be well within Him so that we can enjoy the closeness of our
Savior?
This Lent, this may be a good thing
to ask ourselves. Lent seems to be all
about spiritual reconstruction in order to give our lives greater devotion to
God in the hope that we can rejuvenate our faith in a way to match the message
of the longest waiting period of the liturgical year. Many of us (including myself) ask what we can
do to give up or do in order to gain repentance or become better people in the
anticipation of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection. However, maybe the question we should truly
be asking is not what we can do to repent to God during Lent, but whether or
not we want to be well within this season in order to enjoy the spirituality of
it. This may be as simple as taking more time to reflect and pray throughout
the day during Lent, and then perhaps carrying that habit all the liturgical
seasons after. Or maybe it is a drastic
as doing an entire spiritual overview of your life thus far, going to
Reconciliation, and making a plan about how you as a Christian are going to
move forward in a healthier spiritual direction with your mind, body, and soul
after this Lenten season, no matter what that may be.
“Being well” has a different meaning
and connotation for all of us. Yet, “be
well” is a common blessing amongst loved ones when one is going through a
hardship. The people around us want us
to be well, both with ourselves and with God.
This Lenten season, let us listen to ourselves more about being well in
mind, body, and spirit, seeking the voice that Jesus has inside all of us
asking us, “do you want to be well?”
When you decide that you do, or even if you struggle to do so, Jesus
will always be there to help us rise, pick up our burdens, and walk with
Him.
Blessings
and Love,
Zayna
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