Homily For Tuesday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 12th March, 2024

Readings: Ezek. 47:1-9.12 , Ps. 46, John 5:1-16

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

DO NOT GIVE UP THE LORD WILL SOON INTERVENE IN YOUR SITUATION

 

In this life, there is a principle that we need to understand, that is, the principle that says that every day is a gift from God. Which of course is another great opportunity to experience and encounter the Lord. So, I don't know how you woke up today, I don't know what troubles your mind. But all I know is that today is another gift of God to us, I am excited, and hopeful and am going to live it with all joy, not trying to change things that I could not change or try to fix things that do not want to be fixed.

 

But I will do my best to overcome my daily challenges knowing and hoping that one day I will hear Jesus saying to me, do you want to be healed? Rise, take up your pallet and walk, just as he said to the sick man in our Gospel reading today. Here we see how a man who was struggling every day to overcome the ugly situation in his life was healed by a single command from Jesus. This happened on a day like every other day when he heard Jesus saying: do you want to be healed? As the man was busy narrating his past failed efforts of having no one to put him into the pool when the water was disturbed; Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your pallet and walk and immediately he was restored.

 

This great and miraculous event brought deep joy into the life of a hopeless man, who out of joy went about expressing the joy of his healing. And this draws the attention of the people who marvelled at what had happened to him. However, the Jews were more concerned about the Sabbath law rather than the mercy and love of God. An ugly attitude that sometimes happens among us where we disregard the good of others over laws and regulations.

 

Dear friends, the Lord wishes to heal us no matter the duration of the situation we are passing through. But we shall not let the ugly and failed events of the past distract us from receiving God’s blessings today. We should rather focus on the blessings that come with the gift of today. We must learn to follow the directives of the Lord, knowing that he will lead us to the healing water that flows east down to the Arabah from the sanctuary and in it, we shall find every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal, thereby making all things wholesome again as we heard in our first reading.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, a lot of people are passing through a difficult situation which has lingered for a long time. As we listened to your words today, may we hear the voice of the Lord saying: arise, take up your pallet and go home. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  It's Tuesday, may the Holy Spirit guide your paths and bring your plans and purposes to a glorious end.