"Rise, take up your bed and walk."
(John 5:8)
After the Resurrection of Christ, in the Sunday Gospel readings, we heard testimonies about these events. These were the words of people who themselves experienced, saw, heard, and felt them. In the following weeks, the Church offers us other readings about the Lord's miracles.
We often perceive a miracle as something extraordinary, something that seems to not fit into the usual order of life. Something incomprehensible and unfathomable to the human mind. But in reality, the essence of miracles is different. A miracle is a return to the true state of things, to the harmony that existed from the beginning between God and the world. This harmony was destroyed by sin and continues to be destroyed by our distance from God.
In the Gospel, we see a paralytic who has been lying by the pool for many years, waiting for healing. He answers Christ's question simply and painfully:
"I don't have anyone to help me get into the water when it gets rough; someone else always gets in ahead of me."
These words very accurately convey the state of many people today. There are people around, there is movement, there is life — but lacks real presence. There is no one who will stop, look carefully, feel, support. There are many people, but little humanity.
And this is felt even in simple things. Sometimes a person looks at you, listens, even nods - but the gaze seems to pass by. They are physically close, but their thoughts are somewhere far away: on the phone, in messages, in their worries. And you feel it. At some point, you don't want to share anything anymore, because you understand - they really don't hear you.
And it's completely different when there's a person next to you who puts down the phone, doesn't get distracted, looks you in the eye and really listens. Then a space of trust appears. Then you want to talk. Then you feel: you're not alone.
You can even take a simple step - a small experiment. Pay attention to how others treat us. And even more so - how we ourselves treat those around us. Are we able to be present? Are we able to put down our phone for at least a few minutes, not reach for it constantly, and sometimes not even take it out at all - leave it in our bag? Because this is often an indicator of how important the person next to us is to us and how important we are to them.
But the Gospel shows us another image. There is a person who does not have the strength to get up on his own. There is a person who has perhaps already lost hope. And there are friends nearby who carry him to Christ. They do not argue and do not postpone. They believe - even when the sick person himself does not have this faith. And Christ sees their faith.
This is very important for us. Because sometimes a person himself cannot believe - neither in a miracle, nor in change, nor even in the fact that his life can be different. But there may be those nearby who believe for him. Who supports, who does not back down, who carries him with his patience, prayer and presence.
The same is true today. We may not have the answers to everything, we may have doubts, but we do not have the right to lose the ability to support each other. To believe not only for ourselves, but also for those around us. To believe in healing - spiritual and physical. To believe in the transformation of life. To believe in the victory of good where it seems that darkness is stronger.
And even more — to believe that truth and life will prevail. To believe in your land, in your people, in the fact that God does not abandon you. Because faith is not only a personal experience. It is also a responsibility for each other.
In everyday life, indifference can be explained in another way: everyone is busy with their own affairs, their own difficulties, their own rhythm. But in the Church it looks different. Because the Church is a place where a person should encounter love. If it is not there, only the appearance remains, which does not attract, but repels.
That is why we see churches emptying, young people moving away, people looking for something else. They do not find what they expect - living warmth and acceptance. In a place where everyone should feel seen and accepted, this is often lacking.
There is a simple example. When a man was asked why he goes to church and whether he understands everything, he replied that he doesn't understand everything. But he comes there because it is the only place where love is spoken about and where he is treated with love.
This is what the Church stands for. This is what the apostles brought—the message that every person is precious to God, that everyone is loved by Him. They didn't just talk about it, they lived it.
The Gospel poses a simple but difficult question to us: are we that kind of people for each other? Can we be those we can lean on? Are we ready to see and hear those around us?
We often feel that the love in our lives has become weaker. We close ourselves off, become distant, we get used to living each by ourselves. And because of this, an emptiness appears around us.
Love doesn't always come as a feeling. But it starts with a decision. With a concrete choice - to be attentive, not to pass by, to support, to say a kind word, to show mercy. This is something that is available to everyone.
Christ speaks very directly: if we love Him, we will live according to His word. And then God will be present in a person's life, not somewhere far away, but really, vividly.
Then everything gradually changes: thoughts, heart, attitude towards people. Love ceases to be an idea and becomes a way of life.
You can start small. With a simple human attitude. With a willingness to be there. Sometimes this means becoming the person someone lacks. This is how a true church community is formed - alive, open, capable of bringing light to others.
Help us, Lord, to be the true Church, and not just its appearance. Amen.
