The Sea Snail

(Note: Today’s post is from guest blogger Rev. Mary Ramerman, our former pastor of Spiritus Christi. She continues to write and lead reflection groups when she’s not engaged with her grandchildren.)

March 16

John 5:1-16

Jesus has traveled to Bethesda where there is a healing pool of water.  In the pool are many blind, lame, and crippled people.  Laying near the pool is a paralyzed man who has been ill for 38 years.

 In the scriptures, people who are ill usually seek out Jesus. But in this story, Jesus approaches the paralytic.  He begins by asking him a question, “Do you want to be well?”

At first that seems odd. Of course, he wants to be well!  Why doesn’t Jesus start with, “I am here to heal you.”  But Jesus will not say that because the decision to be healed is not his to make.   The paralytic must decide if he wants healing and what that healing will be for.

The sick man responds to Jesus’ question by saying that no one will carry him to the water and that others take his spot.  He sees others as responsible for keeping him away from being healed.  

Jesus asks the man if he wants to be well, but the man responds by saying how he wants to get to the pool of water.  He sees the pool of water as his source of healing, and he misses the healer standing in front of him.

This story opens up our spirit to God’s presence.  God is asking each of us, “Do you want to be well?  Do you want to be healed?  What do you truly desire in your life?”

How do I respond to this question from Jesus?    Do I want to be healed?  What is my deepest desire?  Do I even know the answer to that question?  Many of us may not.   Like the paralyzed man in the story, we have a decision to make.  Do I want to be well?  Am I more interested in the changes others need to make?   Do I see my healing as limited by my circumstances?   

How paralyzed am I when it comes to my own healing?  Do I recognize my own power in my healing, or have I given it away to others?

When we seek the answer to these questions, we must go deeper into our spirit.  We are connected to this amazing source of love and wisdom. It is within us, and we are part of it.  With prayer and reflection, we can broaden the understanding we have of ourselves and the world.  We need to be careful not to be like a little sea snail looking around its tidepool for the next meal, completely unaware of the sand and ocean just outside its edges.  God is so big!  We can ask God to open our mind and spirit to see our life as God sees it, to see our purpose and relationships from God’s point of view.

Jesus tells the paralyzed man to pick up his mat and walk.  Trust that God has healing for you, and do not be afraid to ask for God’s help.  You are God’s child worthy of complete and total freedom from fear, isolation, and doubt.  Make a decision to ask for that healing, and then pick up your mat and walk. You must take the first steps. Trust that God will guide you every day and every time you feel lost or unsure.

Son, daughter, feel my Heart

Hear my Heart

Love my Heart

My Heart beats as yours beats

My Heart dreams as yours dreams

My soul flies as your soul flies

My dance, dances

My flight, flutters

My silence is perfect

I ask only this of you this day, measure the depth of your voice by one factor

TRUST

Trust all that you say this day as you walk your brothers and sisters into my garden of love is as it needs to be and is as they need to hear

I am, I am, I am in every breath of voice you utter in my name

I am, you are, we are