DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 16, 2010
TUESDAY 4TH WEEK OF LENT – YEAR II

EZEKIEL 47:1-9, 12
He brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream
flowed eastwards from under the Temple threshold, for the Temple faced
east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south
of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round
outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on
the right-hand side. The man went off to the east holding his
measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me
wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off
another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water
reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade
across the stream again; the water reached my waist. He measured off
another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the
stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to
cross. He then said, 'Do you see, son of man?' He then took me and
brought me back to the bank on the river. Now, when I reached it, I
saw an enormous number of trees on each bank of the river. He said,
'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing
into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows,
all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very
plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life
teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will
grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit
that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this
water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat
and the leaves medicinal.'

JOHN 5:1-3, 5-16
After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem next to the Sheep Pool there is a pool
called Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five porticos; and under these
were crowds of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed. 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 that 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 down there before me.'
Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around.' The
man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and started to walk
around. 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 sleeping-mat and walk around." ' They asked, 'Who is
the man who said to you, "Pick up your sleeping-mat and walk around"?
' The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared, as the
place was crowded. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said,
'Now you are well again, do not 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 harass Jesus.

REFLECTION
Around the pool near the Sheep Gate are large numbers of blind, lame
and paralyzed people. These are the ailments that we Christians often
suffer from: — blindness — we cannot see where Jesus is leading us or
where we should go in life; — lameness and paralysis — we can see but
have difficulty walking along Jesus' way. During this Lenten season
let us hear Jesus asking us the question he puts to the man: "Do you
want to be well again? Do you want to be made whole again?"

Do we truly want to be "well," with the total wellness that Jesus
brings, that healing of soul which is freedom from sin and a deep
relationship with him? Jesus comes to us precisely when all our human
solutions have failed. Let us never give up hope. Jesus expects us to
trust in him and not surrender to bitter frustration.

Jesus wastes no time. He tells the lame man: "Rise up! Pick up your
sleeping-mat and walk." The man is immediately cured and walks away.
Later, Jesus tells the man to complete his healing by abandoning a
life of sin, bringing body and spirit into full harmony and wholeness.
Let us ask Jesus to do the same for us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Lydia Pe
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Jo Marcelo
- Huey
… for the personal intentions of
- Mary Wong
- JES
- Don V.
.. Birthday:
- Ma. Ligaya de Guzman
- Mikhaila Duhaylungsod
- Lucrecia Guevara
- Sharon Lim Recio
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rhea R. Reyes
… for the healing and peace of all families

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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