Often, the person who needs healing begs Jesus for that gift. Often, that person is filled with thanksgiving and gratitude. That does not seem to be the case with the lame man who encountered Jesus at the pool at Bethesda. Yet, in our journey of faith, we are called to go to Jesus with all that is holding us back and bringing us down. We are called to reach out to Jesus in the midst of our reality. With the gifts and blessings we receive on our journey of faith, we are called to give thanks. Thanksgiving is an attitude of prayer that we can have on our faith journey always, no matter what our circumstances. We are to acknowledge Jesus as our Redeemer and our Savior, as the Son of God. I thought about the man who had been ill for many years, sitting by the pool of healing waters, but with no one to help him enter those healing waters. Several years ago, when we went to Lourdes on pilgrimage, many people waited in line for hours to go into the baths of the healing waters of the spring there. Although, I will say, they had separate lines for those who were very ill and for clergy, so I did not have to wait in line at all and I was ushered into the healing waters with attendants to help us. Many people from around the world go to Lourdes for healing. It is one of the most popular destinations for Christian pilgrims in the world. Often, those who need healing in their lives will attest that they did not get the kind of healing they expected or desired, but rather got the healing that was intended by the will of God. May we be open to God’s healing touch in our lives.
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