Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent
Eze 47:1-9,12
Jn 5:1-3,5-16
One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years…
Writing today’s reflection gave me an opportunity to read more about St Patrick, whom I had only vaguely associated with Ireland up till now. Going through his biography, I was surprised to learn that he wasn’t even Irish. He had been kidnapped as a youth and taken to Ireland as a slave, until he managed to escape at the age of twenty. In response to a dream, he decided to enter the priesthood and then returned to Ireland, eventually bringing Christianity to many parts of the island. Maybe St Patrick’s work serves as a stellar example of how we can love our enemies; I am not sure if I would have been able to follow him in viewing the people who had captured him, who had treated him as a slave, as brothers and sisters in Christ who needed to know about His love and message, or emulate his courage in returning to a place which might have held painful memories to carry out his mission. But it is inspiring to appreciate his humility as he readily followed God’s call, and faith that God would provide him with whatever he needed, especially through the many trials he encountered throughout his missionary work in Ireland.
I probably find myself more similar to the crippled man in today’s Gospel passage. I usually have mixed feelings reading about this figure; on the one hand, I wonder whether he ‘deserved’ Jesus’ healing since he launched into complaining when Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed, walked off healed without a word of thanks, and told the Jews about Jesus (almost as if he was a whistle-blower) which gave the Jews further reason to persecute Jesus. On the other, I am reminded of our Lord’s staggering grace and mercy, and that we are not to judge whether anyone is unworthy of healing (just as, in St Patrick’s case, he did not judge whether his captors were unworthy of saving). After all, today’s crippled man had been attempting to immerse himself in the healing pool for decades, as heartbreakingly depicted in the Chosen season 2 episode 4; if I had been in his position, I’d have given in to despair and become embittered and cynical too.
Indeed, when I reread the passage, I was struck by Jesus’ compassion (since he found out that the man had been ill a long time) and by how He merely healed the man without even requiring him to enter the healing pool. Perhaps, I should be giving praise and thanks to our Father for His patience and generosity, for how He understands our suffering even better than we do, and for how He is willing and able to heal us in ways we never expected — as long as we are open to His presence (and even when we are not, as shown by the crippled man). Hopefully, I can keep this mindset as we continue our Lenten journey.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jaclyn Lam)
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for the times we have closed ourselves to Your help and healing. Forgive us for our tendency to judge and criticise. St Patrick, pray for us.
Thanksgiving: Lord, we thank you for loving every single one of us. Help us to realise how you love us, that we may try to love others too.
OXYGEN 
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