The Fourth Sunday of Pascha is dedicated to the miracle of Christ healing the paralytic. The man was healed by Christ while waiting for someone to put him down into the water. The Jews believed that when the waters of the pool of Bethesda were “moving”, God was present with His healing powers and the first one in after the “movement” would be healed.
It is through our Baptism in the Church that we, too, are healed and saved by Christ for eternal life. Thus in the Church we are told, together with the paralytic: “to sin no more that nothing worse may befall you.” (John 5:14)
On Pascha night, with lit candles, we made our baptismal procession around the Church once again renewing our commitment to Christ. And now, with these Sundays of Pascha, we are reminded of that commitment we made, but also of the commitment Christ has made to us – to be ever with us with His healing and forgiveness.
“The soverign man-befriending Lord, He that is all-compassionate, drew nigh and stood at the Sheep’s Pool that He might heal men’s diseases; And there He found a man laying on his bed, enfeebled many years. And unto him, He cried aloud: “Take up you bed now and go forth; wald into the upright and straight paths.”