We weren’t created to be self-sufficient – we can’t do everything by ourselves, and we shouldn’t do that anyway! We need each other and we need God in our life. God doesn’t need us, but He wants us and constantly showers us with His love. And one way He showed His love, was by creating us to be brothers and sisters in Christ. God created us to love one another and to help each other out. Today so many people try to find excuses why they can’t volunteer: “I’m too busy”, “I don’t have enough money”, “I’m not really making a difference”. But Jesus shows us that we should always help our brothers and sisters, no matter what. Jesus knew that He would be persecuted for performing a miracle on the Sabbath, but His love, compassion and mercy for the ill man was greater than that. Today, we are called to be like Jesus and to reach out to help our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter the circumstance.

Yet, instead of just healing the man, Jesus first asked him, “Do you want to be well?” This kind of caught me off guard, wouldn’t the man definitely want to be well? I mean, who would want to be ill for 38 years? But, after thinking about it, this question makes more sense. After Jesus heals the man, his life as he knows it will never be the same. He will have to live a completely different life than he did when he was paralytic – which is somewhat scary! Have you ever had a time in your life where you knew that if you made a decision, your life would be completely different? For me, that decision was going to a school that was 8 hours away from my family! Of course, I wanted to go to college and of course, I knew that Creighton was the perfect school for me, but it was one of the scariest moments of my life because I knew my life would never be the same. It’s scary knowing that your life is going to change drastically even if you want the change.

Today, we are called to remember that we were created to be men and women for and with others. We need to stop making excuses, and help out those in need no matter what day of the week or what the circumstance may be. And because Lent is a time of preparation and forgiveness, we need to ask ourselves if we really want to be forgiven and if we’re truly ready for a life in Christ. God is always ready to forgive us and extend us his love, but sometimes there is something holding us back from accepting this love and forgiveness. Today, are you truly ready and willing to accept his love and forgiveness?