Carl Bloch: Jesus Heals the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethzatha (Bethesda)
When fear paralyzes us, how do we react? Do we listen for the words whispered in our ears? Get up and start walking.
When worry saps our strength, why do we shoulder blame that is not ours? Do we turn to the one who can handle all our apprehension? Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.
When fear paralyzes us, how do we react? Do we believe the healing words of Christ who says: Get up and start walking.
When anxiety steals our serenity, who among us turns to the Creator for help? Who better to do the impossible? Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.
When darkness overcomes us, what light do we find? Who else but Jesus the Christ? Get up and start walking.Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.
When trouble assails us and shatters our calm, do we have the faith to rise, to take up the circumstances that have held us away from God, and to go home.
When we compare varying versions of these verses, we find healing for all that paralyzes us.
Jesus tells us that the Creator remains with us in the form of the Spirit.
The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you. (GNT)
Jesus tells us that the Spirit abides in us through all our suffering and all our joy.
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. (NRSV)
Jesus tells us that although he is no longer visible to us in his original form, he is still with us through the hands and feet, words and healing of others.
But the Counselor, the Ruach HaKodesh, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything; that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you. (CJB)
Jesus tells us that the Creator’s wisdom resides in us in the form of God’s Spirit.
I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. (MSG)
Jesus tells us that we have an advocate who brings healing and restoration, we have an advocate who promises justice and mercy, we have an advocate we can trust. Let us share this good news today in the way we live and love.
When we compare varying translations of these verses, we find that we have an advocate we can trust, the healing, transformative presence of God.
For a prayer based on this verse, enter the words Prayer for Understanding into the blog search bar.
When Jesus speaks to his disciples on the evening before his death, he says to the Creator, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me”.
This past week we have considered the idea of Wholeness in Christ: how we find it, how we achieve it, how we are transformed through it. Today we reflect on words from Richard Rohr, OFM.
From A Spring Within Us: “Wholeness doesn’t really overcome the problem, but holds it and transforms it as Jesus did on the cross. As Carl Jung said, most of the great problems of life are never resolved; they’re just outgrown.
“Wholeness holds you. You can’t figure this out ahead of time or fully choose this wholeness; you fall into it when you stop excluding. And you are changed in the process. Everything belongs, even the ‘bad’ and dark parts of yourself. Nothing needs to be rejected or denied. No one needs to be hated. No one needs to be excommunicated, shunned, or eliminated. You don’t have time for that anymore”. (Rohr 353)
James Tissot: The Holy Women
When we allow ourselves and others the freedom to choose wholeness, we discover the truth that Christ’s love for us overcomes all harm. When we enact Christ through our own Gospel work, we find new hope in new life. And when we open our heart to the Spirit, we open ourselves to prayer that heals, holds and transformation. Rohr helps us to see that when we can hold ourselves in wholeness with him, we no longer judge, no longer exclude, no longer worry and strain at life. At the close of this first week of Advent, we give thanks for the gift of Wholeness in Christ that we too easily take for granted.
When we compare varying translations of these verses, we find the wholeness of belief as we pray with Jesus.
Richard Rohr, OFM. A Spring Within Us: A Book of Daily Meditations. Albuquerque, NM: CAC Publishing, 2016.
When we open ourselves to God in our search for wholeness, there is no better door than the heart. The psalmist reminds us that sincerity in our relationship with God is a secure and holy path to fullness and transformation.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.(Psalm 9:1)
God says: I do not need your admiration to know that my love can heal and convert harm to goodness; but your praise warms my heart so that it overflows into the core of all creation.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.(Psalm 86:12)
God says: I do not need your burnt offerings to satisfy my desire to live in and with you; but your sacrifices in my name affirm my constant love in you.
The arrogant smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.(Psalm 119:69)
God says: I do not need your presence in the Temple to tell me that you have confidence in me; but your gathering with the faithful strengthens your hope in my presence.
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. (Psalm 138:1-2)
God says: I have created you out of my love. I have created you in love. I have created you for love. When you open your heart to me, you open yourself to fullness and wholeness in me.
When we explore other versions of these verses, we encounter a fullness and openness of heart.
We must be willing to give up our comforts if we hope to find true wholeness.
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
We must be willing to be authentic if we hope to overcome evil.
Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
We must be willing to pace ourselves if we want to serve God through a lifetime.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
We must be willing to live the Law of Love if we want to follow The Way.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
We must be willing to forgive those who harm us if we expect to agree with God’s judgment rather than impose our own.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”
God says: My servant Paul wrote these words to the Romans two thousand years ago. Today he writes these words to you. When you seek to live a new life, you discover the gift of wholeness that I gladly give to you.
Using the scripture link and drop-down menus, we open the door to a new life.
If we cannot believe Christ’s presence in our lives today, we can at least do the works we see Jesus doing in the Gospels. Over time, we will discover that Jesus brings us hope.
I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works.
If we do not trust God with the enormous events of our lives, we can at least trust God with small actions. Over time, we will discover that God is faithful.
The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing.
If we do not allow the Spirit to heal us through transformation, we can at least open ourselves to the possibility of renewal. Over time, we will discover the Spirit’s deep and abiding love for us.
You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.
God says: Despite your doubts, despite your fears, despite your anxieties, you are already whole. I breathe in you. I rest in you. I work and play and pray in you. If you seek wholeness, know that you already possess it. And this possession becomes evident if you can only do the works you see Jesus doing. When you step into my Way, you discover that you are loved into a wholeness that you recognize readily. Trust me. You can count on it.
When we use the scripture link and drop-down menus to explore versions of these verses, we discover that we are already whole in our Gospel work of Christ’s Way.
But don’t let [the state of the world] faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
God says: You do not need to worry about my plan. It has been well laid out since before you were on the earth and it moves into a future that has no end. I understand that when you look at the years you have allotted to you, you see war, anger, and rage. But when you seek wholeness in me, my truth reveals itself to you. Suddenly you see with my giant eyes. You hear what I hear. And you act as I act. Rather than focus on the all that is going badly, open yourself to the million small stories that accompany the painful events surrounding you. When war rages, my faithful buoy one another up. When injustice prevails, the remnant senses the power of my long arms. You can believe my promise that all will be well. You can trust my action that brings goodness out of harm. You can trust my love that conquers all anger, cruelty, and hate.
When we compare varying versions of these verses, we stumble upon the wholeness of God’s truth.
May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.
God says: You do not need to look for the pieces you believe are missing from your life. All that you believe you lack, you have. You have only to relax into me and you will slowly perceive these missing bits of your persona. You have only to rely on Christ and you will feel the presence of the courage you believe you lack. You have only to rest in the Holy Spirit and you will sense healing and consolation. Reality is not what you see with your eyes, touch with your hands, or hear with your ears. Reality is my full and transforming presence in you that dwells in you since before your conception, and will continue in you long after your temporal death. You can trust my promise. You can trust my action in your life. You can trust my love.
When we compare varying versions of these verses, we discover a new freedom in our wholeness and oneness with God.
With the institution of the gift of Eucharist, Jesus promises that he will remain with us always. Matthew 26:26-28
With the gift of bread and wine as the real presence of Christ, the Spirit dwells in us today. Mark 14: 22-24
With the physical remembrance of transformed bread and wine, of God fulfills the promise to live among us. Luke 22:19-20
With the gift of Eucharist, or Thanksgiving, we have the way to be in the real presence of God. John 14
Richard Rohr, OFM writes: “The Eucharist is an encounter of the heart, knowing Presence through our available presence. In the Eucharist we move beyond mere words or rational thought and go to the place where we don’t talk about the Mystery anymore; we begin to chew on it. Jesus did not say, ‘Think about this’ or ‘Stare at this’ or even ‘Worship this.’ Instead, he said, ‘Eat this!’ It was to be a bodily action and a social action with the group . . . We are the very Body of Christ. We have dignity and power flowing through us in our very naked existence – and everybody else does too – even though most do not know it. This is enough to steer and empower your entire faith life”. (Rohr 299)
We can infer from these verses and Rohr’s words that realizing the true presence of God in our lives will not happen when we are alone in a quiet corner contemplating God’s existence. Rather, we best find God as we act as Christ asks us to act, when we abide in the Spirit as the Spirit urges, and when we agree to become the Body of Christ as God invites us.
Finding the True Presence, then, is more likely when we are moving through our days with Christ ever on our minds and in our hearts, hands, lips and feet. We find the presence of God when we are truly open and thankful. We encounter the presence of God when we remember that Eucharist means Thanksgiving, and when we thank God for all that we have and all we are.
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