Rise and Walk
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Do you want to be well?”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Does Jesus’ question to the crippled man seem silly?—“Do you want to be well?” It shouldn’t. This Gospel brings up something very important about the Christian life—that it requires our effort and work. Jesus offers healing to everyone without exception. Everyone wants to be healed, of course. But some don’t want it enough. They don’t want to do what it takes to receive His healing or to do what is demanded afterwards. Many people would rather miss out on healing than lose some money, pleasure, success, or popularity. We all make these mistakes. This is why we’re not yet saints.
When Jesus heals the man, He orders him to begin a new activity: “pick up your mat.” Even after healing—even after living the Christian life well, we must continue to fight against our sickness. What are these sicknesses? Lust, anger, irritability, negativity, vanity, over-eating, drinking, dishonesty, laziness, excessive desire for popularity, money-love, comfort-love—these are all symptoms of spiritual sickness. In prayer, try to identify two things: 1) what sicknesses have plagued us, and 2) what might we still do to combat these faults?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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