The Society of Jesus
in Belize
“Do you want to be well?”
Preparing to Pray
1. Take three deep breaths, allowing yourself to be fully present.
2. Speak to the Lord, telling him that you are dedicating the next fifteen minutes to be with Him.
3. Ask for the grace you desire:
I ask God to help me feel a longing for the healing that he offers me.
4. Consider the following points:
It seems strange that Jesus would ask a crippled person if he or she wants to be healed, yet he asks that question a lot in the Gospels. Isn’t the answer obvious? Well, no, it isn’t! Sometimes we like to cling to our sins. As much as we don’t like how they make us feel, they still feel comfortable to us. We still get something out of them, and often we are not entirely sure we want to let go. Like the crippled man at the pool in Bethsaida, who spent 38-years waiting for someone to put him in the pool, we might ask ourselves if we really want to be healed, or do we keep making excuses for holding on to our bad habits. Or, like Diesel the dog in the video below, we cling to our blindness until we get banged-up enough to cry out, “HELP!” Change is hard, and Jesus never forces his mercy on us. Instead, he asks, “Do you want to be well?”
Prayer
Scripture:
John 5:1-9 “Rise, take up your mat, and walk”
Enter this scene once again using Ignatian contemplation. Pay close attention to the look on Jesus’ face as he interacts with the man in need of healing, especially as he asks him if he wants to be well. How does Jesus feel when he looks at the man? If you want a good laugh, and if you want to see a great metaphor for sin, click on the YouTube video above.
Review your prayer
Take a few minutes to reflect on and journal about the following:
In what ways do I still cling to my hurts and resentments? What do I get out of holding on? How ready would I say I am to have God change my heart?
... or else write down any moments of consolation or desolation you encountered in your prayer.
Speak with the Lord, as one friend to another, about whatever came up in your prayer.
End with an Our Father or a Hail Mary.