Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent - April 2, 2019

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Ezekiel 47:1-9,12   John 5:1-16

We are all looking for shortcuts in life: a pill that can help us lose weight, a get-rich-quick scheme or taking an elevator instead of the stairs. However, these short cuts do not always, or even often, provide the desired results. Sometimes they are more negative than positive.

We live our lives with the ultimate goal that we will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven upon our death. However, there is no short cut for this.  We will not be able to do so unless we show up with our faith every day.  We show up by attending church, following the Ten Commandments, engaging in daily prayer and trying each day to love God and our neighbor. We cannot choose just one of these things to do and expect the reward of eternity with our maker. We have to do them all.

The sick man in the gospel showed up to the pool every day for 38 years hoping to be cured by the stirred water.  In a time without the benefits of today’s medical science, it was perhaps his way of finding a short cut to good health.  When Jesus encountered the man and told him to “stand up and walk” the man did so without hesitation or question. The man trusted in the power of Jesus to heal. Jesus proves to the man that he never needed the water; he needed God. 

The fact that at the end of the story people are upset with Jesus despite proof of the miracle shows that some people will always find it hard to believe.  We must trust in our faith and trust that what we have read in the bible is the foundation of our lives and, if practiced, our ticket into heaven. We can stop waiting or looking for that quick fix and stop putting only minimum work into our faith. We must live the faith by following the Word of God and by living lives of love, forgiveness, and mercy—each day of our lives.

Q:  When have I been tempted to take a short cut in my faith rather than paying attention to what my conscience and faith asked of me?

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