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| “Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667-70 |
Commentary:
During the Fourth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of the man born blind is not read on the Fourth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.
Reading I: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
Commentary on Ez 47:1-9, 12
In this vision from Ezekiel, the allusion is made to one faith, the one stream flowing from the temple into the Kedron Valley, which is normally a dry wash. The imagery applied here has been used in other places in scripture (Amos 9:13; Joel 4:18; Zechariah 14:8; Psalm 36:9-10; Revelation 22:1) and probably represents the water flowing from the Garden of Eden, first stopped by Original Sin then re-started with Moses striking the stone in the desert during the Exodus (Numbers 20:11), and finally in Jerusalem in the end times, the Eschaton. The analogy is to one faith, flowing into the world bringing life and well-being to any who partake.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
R. (8) The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Commentary on Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
Psalm 46 is a hymn of praise. In this passage we see the analogy also presented in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12) as the Lord is praised for supporting the people with his strength and creation.
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Gospel: John 5:1-16
Commentary on Jn 5:1-16
This passage from St. John is the third sign used in the Lord’s self-revelation. Jesus cures the paralytic by his word, something that could not be accomplished by the waters of faith in Judaism. When Jesus first approached the paralytic, he complained that he could not get to the waters at the pool called Bethesda “when they were stirred up.” This is taken from a belief at the time that periodically an angel of God would come down and stir up the waters of the pool, and the first person to touch them in that state was cured.
It is explicitly mentioned that Jesus does this on the Sabbath which precipitates the controversy with the Jewish leadership. It is also noteworthy that Jesus does not say to the paralytic that his sin has caused his condition, he tells him “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you." This last reference is probably to final judgment.
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Reflection:
As population pressure continues to strain the resources of the world one of the most important commodities seeming to be in short supply is potable water, that is water clean enough to drink and to cook with without becoming sick, not to mention bathing. In many developing countries water means the difference between life and death. Without it, human beings perish in short order. Without water crops don’t grow and livestock also die. In short, water is truly the source of physical life. It is so important, that determining its presence is a singular goal of space exploration. We look for it on the moon and Mars, seeing its presence as the key to establishing long term presence on those bodies.
In scripture the term is used metaphorically and symbolically but with the same emphasis. Without faith, represented by water, there can be no life. The Prophet Ezekiel saw this in his vision with the metaphor of a garden flourishing along the stream that was faith in God, flowing from the Temple. Jesus later redefined the temple as residing in the New Jerusalem, and the faith that flows into the world springs from a wound in his side as a soldier’s lance opened that source. Just as surely as Moses' staff brought water from the rock as sign of God’s love in the desert, the water flowing from the side of Jesus as he gave up his life expressed his love. It was even used in the movie Noah (which I do not recommend except for the special effects – a film in which the names should have been changed to protect the truth).
The interesting thing about this metaphor of the river of faith is that it has some additional lessons to teach us as we examine the analogy more closely. First, the stream can be fouled if people try to throw contaminants in upstream. This could be analogized by attempting to put things in that do not belong (again don’t see Noah), twisting the faith to one’s own purpose as we see in some unscrupulous evangelists. Water can likewise be diverted from its course, bottled up and sold to those who can afford it. We can use our own imaginations here as to the meaning of this sort of misuse.
Perhaps one of the more interesting analogies about flowing water is that it can naturally pool when it gets to a depression, temporarily halting its progress. This happens when it reaches a person or group that is afraid to let it flow through them to others; that person or group feels it is necessary to become insulated, trying to shut out the world but at the same time, denying water its course. They don’t realize that it is the actual flow that is necessary. Without it the water can become stagnant and foul; contained too long it can actually become deadly.
When we recognize that in order for our faith to remain vibrant and alive it must flow though us, we act on that knowledge, passing on what we have been freely given. Our prayer this day is that what we have received, we can pass on faithfully in our words, our actions, and our prayers.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667-70
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