Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent - March 16, 2021

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Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 John 5:1-16

In Ezekiel, the Temple of the Lord is the source of water and water is the source of all Life. From a trickle the water turns into a stream and then into a river. The water brings Life everywhere it goes and becomes stronger as it expands outward.

Life comes from God, and in the absence of God, there is no life, only death and despair. We may not immediately see death in the absence of God, just like a person in the desert does not immediately become thirsty. But with time, the absence of God in our lives will bring death – like a person dying of thirst in the desert.

So, what does God make the source of the water in today’s first reading? It comes from his Temple (as a trickle) and fl ows out through his Believers (becoming a mighty river.) Without the Temple and without his Believers, the water cannot spread and carry the power of Life with it.

This is why going to Mass is a weekly obligation, and not an individual choice. Going to Mass isn’t a self-help exercise, it is how God waters his creation with Life and protects His creation from the forces of evil and death. God “needs” his people to go Mass, take the Eucharist and spread out across the world like water giving His Life.

Again, in the Gospel of John, water is the source of Life in the healing Pool of Bethesda. Jesus finds a lame man unable to reach the pool before the crowd, so Jesus heals him. Jesus shows that it is He that bestows the water with its life-giving power. It is Jesus that gives the Church and its people the Gift of Life.

What does this mean for me? God gave me His Church and Holy Mass to receive the gift of Life from Him and sends that Life flowing across this world. He is the ultimate source of Life.

Q: Do you feel obligated to participate in Mass every Sunday (virtual or otherwise during covid)? What is the source of your obligation?

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