Tuesday 4th
Week Lent
The Institute
March 8, 2016
A REQUEST +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus responds to a man’s
request to be healed
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But note, that he does not help the man to get
into the pool of water when it is stirred
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The man thought that is what he needed to do to
be healed
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Instead, Jesus tells the man to pick up his mat
and walk
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The man does what Jesus says and he can walk
AN UNEXPECTED
RESPONSE +++++++++++++++++++++
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So what happens is that Jesus combines his own
power with the man’s effort
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And this is a good lesson for us
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Jesus expects us to desire healing and
wholeness, not just physical, but also personal and spiritual
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Apparently, what we need to do is to turn to the
Lord
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And then we need to open ourselves to God coupling
his power with our own effort
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It is both Jesus and us at work that brings
about the healing
Ø
That’s what we see happening in this incident
today
THE HEALINGS TODAY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Note also that Jesus does not take the man into
the water
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Apparently, he wanted to be clear that it was
his power and not water, coupled with the man’s effort, that would lead to his
healing
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At that was surely the case when Jesus was
physically here on this earth
Ø
In contrast, now, after Jesus has risen and left
the earth physically, he does act thru water or thru bread
and wine, or thru chrism
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And so Jesus now quickens us, brings us life,
empowers us, and heals us thru sacramental signs
CONCLUSION
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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In these concrete, tangible, sensory ways he
extends the same power to us as he did to this individual today
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So to our desire for healing, we need to
acknowledge the sacred signs of that healing presence
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It’s both an individual and corporate effort!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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