The Gospel Proclamation After this, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a religious festival. Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool with five porches; in Hebrew it is called Bethzatha. A large crowd of sick people were lying in the porches-the blind, the lame, and the paralysed. A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him lying there, and he knew that the man had been ill for such a long time; so he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one here to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am trying to get in, somebody else gets there first.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man got well; he picked up his mat and started walking. The day this happened was a Sabbath, so the Jewish authorities told the man who had been healed, “This is a Sabbath, and it is against our Law for you to carry your mat.” He answered, “The man who made me well told me to pick up my mat and walk.” They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to do this?” But the man who had been healed did not know who Jesus was, for there was a crowd in that place, and Jesus had slipped away. Afterwards, Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Then the man left and told the Jewish authorities that it was Jesus who had healed him. So they began to persecute Jesus, because he had done this healing on a Sabbath.
Prayerful Awareness In today’s scripture passages we see the symbolism of water‘s healing and life giving properties as a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. In the First Proclamation of God’s Love, we read of the impact the Holy Spirit has in our lives when we allow ourselves to be led by Him. We will have healing, and renewed vigour, and be fruitful in the service of the Lord, sharing the gift of eternal life with others we encounter in our journey on earth. “This water flows through the land to the east and down into the Jordan Valley and to the Dead Sea. When it flows into the Dead Sea, it replaces the salt water of that sea with fresh water. Wherever the stream flows, there will be all kinds of animals and fish. The stream will make the water of the Dead Sea fresh, and wherever it flows, it will bring life. On each bank of the stream all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit. They will have fresh fruit every month, because they are watered by the stream that flows from the Temple. The trees will provide food, and their leaves will be used for healing people.” and in the Psalm “There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, to the sacred house of the Most High. God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed; at early dawn he will come to its aid. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come and see what the Lord has done. See what amazing things he has done on earth.”
