Now there is in Jerusalem 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?" (Jn 5:1-16)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040125.cfm
As the catechumens prepare for baptism and the rest of us prepare to renew the vows of our baptism at Easter, our readings today are filled with images of water. The Lord, who freely offers Living Water, the Water of Eternal Life, puts the question to us, "Do you want to be well?”.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday IV, Lent
