Readings
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12
John 5:1-3,5-16
Reflection
“Do you want to be well? “
This is the question Jesus asks in today’s Gospel, to a man who had been ill for 38 years by the healing pool of Bethsa. That’s a long time!
When something is part of your life for that long, it almost becomes like part of your skin—an identity you don’t know how to live without. Even when the illness brings pain, the thought of letting go can be terrifying.
For me, my “illness” was a victim mentality. I had unconsciously created an identity around being someone life was always unfair to. I was constantly complaining, feeling like everything was harder for me.
But then I hear Jesus ask: Do you want to be well? Do you want your life to change? Or have you become too comfortable in the identity you’ve built around your wounds?
Think about your own struggles. What if they were taken away? Does it feel scary? Letting go of this narrative might feel like standing naked, stripped of everything you’ve known—shame, sin, and all the limits you’ve placed on yourself.
But in Christ, we are made new. Today, we’re invited to step into the healing waters of His grace, to leave behind the false selves we’ve built, and take up our mat.
We are clothed in Christ. Let’s step into that true identity and be well.
Claire O’Donohue is a current Oxley Passionist Youth Retreat Team member. While also in her final year of university, she is completing her bachelor’s degree with a major in visual art and theology.