Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 5, 1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,
“Do you want to be well?”
The sick man answered him,
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
“It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”
He answered them, “The man who made me well told me,
‘Take up your mat and walk.'”
They asked him,
“Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
“Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you.”
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.

Rise and walk

1. Waiting for the water to stir up. We sometimes go through periods of sadness, which seem never ending, and we expect something to happen to us so that we can return to normality. But whatever we expect is dependent on someone else or on circumstances beyond our control. This limits us and creates an illusion that someone else will solve our problem, so we no longer find any strength within us. Many times, you may fall into the spiritual illness of being blind and not seeing your life and the beautiful things in it. Many times, you remain static because you’ve received a blow and you’re hurt. It’s difficult to move ahead in life when you’ve been hurt by criticism and aggression. These things cause depression and sadness; you remain static, and time goes by, and you still keep waiting for others to save you, to help you recover or change your life and solve your problems.

2. Difficult times. We all go through seasons of “spiritual winter” when we feel that everything is crumbling. It happens to everyone, whether a bishop, a priest, a believer, or a non-believer. We all go through times of spiritual coldness and dryness when we feel nothing, and we are afraid of everything. Many Christians and great men and women in the Bible, as well as saints of the Church, have suffered the “broken heart syndrome”. Elijah fled into the wilderness and requested to die. He was terribly discouraged and felt everything he’d done had been in vain, so he asked God to take his life. St. Teresa of Avila used to say, “If this is how you treat your friends, Lord, it’s no wonder you have so few,” meaning that she felt her burden was too great to carry. Many times, something like this can happen to us and we feel spiritually, physically, or emotionally drained. In that mental state, we often say things we don’t really mean. “How I would like to go far away and start again!” But don’t give up! Because as a saint used to say, “The enemy only attacks what’s valuable. He sees you as a threat.” Don’t let situations and difficulties paralyze you.

3. Stand up. As a believer, you have the strength to move forward, and you have a lot to give. Build your life and ask Jesus to give you the courage to recover your energy to walk ahead. Don’t wait for the non-existent Prince Charming, who will solve everything to make you live happily. Neither should you be waiting for the “dream woman” who will make you breathe happiness. That’s living in fantasies. To get ahead, apart from God’s help, you and your positive attitude are also necessary. God will help you in everything and He will give you all the tools to get ahead, but if you don’t show the right attitude, then it’s difficult. You have everything to make your life a journey towards happiness, that’s to say, towards holiness. Remember that something good is on the way! God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.