John 5: 1-16, (Tuesday, March 4, 2008)

Jesus Christ is the one that reaches out to the ill man lying by the side of the pool of Bethesda. In most of the gospel stories when Jesus healed people, they called out to him for help. The man in today’s gospel did not. It is possible that this man after waiting for thirty eight years to be able to plunge himself into the pool, he is frustrated, he does not want to ask anyone for help and receive rejection as an answer. That is most likely the reason Jesus asks him a question that might sound like a dumb question to us, “Do you want to be well.” Of course, he wants to be well, that is why he is lying by the pool. Jesus Christ did not want to impose help on him, at the same time, he felt it was the right thing to reach out to this man.

In our Christian community, there are so many people who need our help and would not voice it out because they are afraid of rejection. Most times we wait for people in the community to request for our help before we can try to help them. If the parish does not request for contributions to the food pantry or social concern ministry, we don’t make a contribution. Jesus Christ wants us to actively reach out to those in need without us being asked to.
How can you reach out to those who need your help today?