“Do you want to be cured?” Jn. 5:1-16

The Gospel presents us with a man paralyzed for thirty-eight years, lying by the pool, waiting, surrounded by the sick and frustrated. His life seems to stand still, marked by resignation and loneliness. Jesus approaches and asks him a direct question: “Do you want to be healed?” It is not obvious; it invites us to awaken the desire, the hope that perhaps had already been extinguished. Jesus does not argue or judge: He gives him a word that liberates and sets in motion. “Get up, pick up your mat and walk.” Healing not only restores the body, it also restores dignity and the ability to walk on one’s own. Do we really want to change or have we become accustomed to our paralysis?