Grace flows

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary call on our imagination and our logical mind. The description of the life flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem which is crafted by the priest Ezekiel in exile in Babylon creates the picture of how life and healing flows from the worship of God. Friar Jude Winkler comments that Roman Catholic understanding of these phenomena would be grace. He notes that communion with God and our rejection of His Presence are not private matters. When people assess our mood as good or bad they are detecting the aura which we radiate to them. The person in search of life and holiness draws the life and goodness of others to the surface and brightens the environment. This can be evidenced as we offer a smiling face and happy eyes to the people we encounter. We will see the life in others drawn to the surface. Conversely our self serving and inward focused face will deflect the generosity in others from rising to our attention. The Gospel from John tells of Jesus encounter with a paralysed man who had spent 38 years in his condition as he tried to seek healing in the pool of the five porticos near the Temple. The response of Jesus to the need of the man was compassion and healing. The rules in the Law, as interpreted by Pharisees, prohibit healing and carrying your mat on the Sabbath. The suggestion which may seem logical and reasonable to us that after 38 years “what difference would another day make?” is not the decision of Jesus. The tensions in this choice inform our decisions about priorities. The rules in society are sometimes obstacles to seeing the action we need to take in care and compassion. The practice of patience and the maintenance of peace among people may favour action at a later time or in a different manner. Our call for Grace in making these decisions will dispose us to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as make these decisions today.