The title of my homily for this 4th Tuesday in
Lent is, “Healing Waters.”
Both readings for today talk about waters and healing.
Take the time to dip yourself in both readings. Like
water let them wash you, refresh you. Drink of the waters. Taste the waters.
Experience the waters.
FIRST READING
The first reading from Ezekiel is refreshing. You can hear the water. You can
sense the water flowing from the right side of the temple.I can picture a museum in Washington D.C.
that has water flowing down a wall - with great sound and splash. It’s one of
the walls in the museum restaurant.
In this first reading, Ezekiel talks about pools. The water
is knee deep. Then it’s upto his waist.
Then he finds himself walking along the bank of a river - among trees on both sides and the
river and the pools are filled with fish. The trees are loaded with fruit -
which will serve as food and its leaves will be medicine.
Great slide show. Great power point images - on the
screen of our mind.
Come to the waters.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel also features water. The scene is the pool
of Siloam at Bethesda in Jerusalem.
It features a man who is lame and crippled. He comes to
this pool of water for healing for 38 years.
Being crippled everyone else beats him to the waters -
when the waters are bubbling up - and ready for healing.
I was in Israel in the year 2000 and we were shown where
this pool was thought to be.It was
across the street from St. Helen’s Church.But in June of 2004 they found a much larger pool. This pool was 225 feet
wide with steps on at least 3 sides. They are still working on excavation
there.
King Hezekiah from way back around 700 BC had a tunnel
built from outside of the city of Jerusalem- under the city for about 1750 feet- so they could have fresh water if attacked.
They now think that’s the healing pool in John 9 when and
where Jesus tells the blind man to bathe in - as well as here in the 5th
chapter of John where this paralyzed man is healed.
COME TO THE WATERS
We humans often sense the healing powers of water.
Where have you been healed by coming to the waters.
Was it the ocean - a pool - a lake or hot springs.When isa good shower? When is a great bath.
I have fond memories of being with my dad soaking his
feet in a bucket of water with Epsom Salts after a long day on his feet at
work.
I love water coolers - especially if the water is very
cold - like the ones down our side corridors hereat St. John Neumann - unlike the oneat St. Mary’s. Horrible.
I’ve been blessed to live my first 13 years of life in
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, just above the Narrows - part of the New York Harbor - and
we walked down there almost every Sunday.
I lived the next 6 years in North East, Pennsylvania, not
too far from Lake Erie.
In our novitiate year we were on the Patapsco River near
Ilchester, Maryland. That water was ugly. It was polluted from a box factory -
just below us.
I was 14 years of my life on the Hudson River - between
Kingston and Poughkeepsie NY
And now I’ve been here in Annapolis - on Spa Creek -
leading out to the Chesapeake Bay.
How lucky could one be.
Location, location, location - to be on or near the
water.
Is it any wonder Jesus is called, “Living water.”
Is it any wonder the first of the sacraments is Baptism?
Do we see Lent as a moving towards a renewal our
Baptismal Vows - in the Living Water called, “Christ”?
April 2, 2019
Thought for today: "Lifeisaboutusingthewholeboxofcrayons."
Someone
Monday, April 1, 2019
7 SIGNS
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 4th Monday in Lent is, “7 SIGNS”. 7 is a neat number - especially for lining up ideas - or thoughts - or learnings or experiences. It's like 3 or 10. Today I'm going with a 7 - as in 7 Signs.
Scripture scholars like to make mention of the 7 Signs of
Jesus from the Gospel of John.
In today’s gospel, John writes of the healing of the
Royal Official’s Son. Today’s gospel ends this way: “Now this was the second sign Jesus did when
he came to Galilee from Judea.” [Cf. John
4: 54]
The miracle of the water made into wine at the wedding
feast of Cana is listed as the first of the signs of Jesus. [Cf. John 2: 1-11]
That’s two. Then scholars add 5 more:
The Healing of the Paralyzed Man the Pool at Bethesda
John 5: 1-15
The Feeding of the 5000 in John 6: 5-14.
Jesus walks onWater inJohn 6: 16-24.
Jesus Heals the Blind Man John 9: 1-7.
Jesus raises Lazarus from the Dead John 11: 1-45.
That’s 7.
Other scholars differ. They
add the big catch of fish or the death
and resurrection or the cleansing of the temple.
TWO SUGGESTIONS
Go through the 4 gospels and
pick your 7 favorite signs.
It might be the healing of the Story of the Woman at the
Well or the Return of the Prodigal Son or the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
The second suggestion. This would be more like homework. People sometimes tell me that they
do the homework that I assign.
Here is my second suggestion.
Pick 7 signs of God’s love for you or 7 signs of your
love for God.
It could be being born - the gift of life - or your
meeting your husband or it could be your 50th anniversary or it
could be the birth of a child.
Or it could be a child coming back to God orto the church.
It could be a trip to Rome or the Holy Land, Fatima or
Lourdes.
CONCLUSION
That’s it. It’s an easy homily. But it could be tough if
you do some homework.
Jot down 7 signs that you’re alive - or 7 signs that you’re
happy or whatever. Go for it.
April1, 2019
Thought for today:
“A fool always finds something to complain about, and a wise person always finds something to appreciate.”
DebasishMridha
HOW TO BE A FOOL?
Stop to see the person right in front of you. Open your wallet. Go the extra mile. Give the shirt off your back. Feed the hungry. Visit the sick. Water the flowers. Anonymous is good. I'm sure you heard all this before as well as the Nike command, "Just do it."
