Sunday, January 31st
John 5:1-13 Crippled Man
"After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep (Gate), a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, 'Do you want to be well?' The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your mat, and walk.' Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, 'It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.' He answered them, 'The man who made me well told me, 'Take up your mat and walk.' ' They asked him, 'Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk'?' The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there."
- It is said that the ill man believed the water in the pool would have healed him when it was stirred by natural occurrences.
- Jesus shows us His mercy and compassion for others who are ill.
- Jesus is the one true source of healing.
- I wonder what Jesus might want us to know about himself from this sign.
- I wonder if the ill man had lost hope after thirty-eight years.
- I wonder if the ill man knew Jesus had the power to heal.
- I wonder can we heal ourselves.
- I wonder what we might need to ask Jesus to heal in us, spiritual or physical.
- I wonder how we might respond to such a gift as to be healed by our Lord.
Monday, February 1st
John 6:1-14 Feeding Five Thousand
"After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (of Tiberias). A large crowd followed him because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was nearby. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, 'Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?' He said this to test him because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, 'Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little (bit).' One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?' Jesus said, 'Have the people recline.' Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted' So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, 'This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.'"
- I wonder what Jesus might want us to know from this sign.
- I wonder if the disciples trusted Jesus could provide for the needs of this crowd.
- I wonder why Jesus says, gather the fragments; let nothing be wasted.
- I wonder if we can trust Jesus with our needs.
- I wonder what we might do to respond to Jesus for providing all we need.
- I wonder how we can provide help for others.
John 6:16-20 Walks on the Water
"When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, 'It is I. Do not be afraid.' They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading."
- I wonder what sort of man this might be that can contradict nature and walk on water
- I wonder what it would be like to walk on water.
- I wonder if Jesus can be with us in the middle of our storms.
- I wonder why the disciples were afraid.
- I wonder how the boat immediately arrived at the shore; they were four miles out.
John 6:51 Bread of Life
" am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
These are the very words of Jesus Christ, we trust and believe in him; when Jesus says I am the bread, this is my body, we know this is true. Jesus is telling us I want to give you all of me, all my body, all my blood, that which comes from heaven, all my divinity. The Eucharist is Jesus; the more we know of Jesus the more we know of the Eucharist.
- I wonder why Jesus gives us himself in the Eucharist.
- I wonder why He chooses bread and wine to be with us.
- I wonder about the union Jesus desires to share with us.
- I wonder how we can respond to this total gift of self, Jesus has made available to us.
Tuesday, February 2nd
John 7:37-38 Living Water
"On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
'Let anyone who thirst come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within Him.'”
- I wonder what the last day of the feast was like.
- I wonder about this living water, what makes this water different.
- I wonder how does water flow from within us. I wonder what this water represents.
Wednesday, February 3rd
John 8:12 I am the Light
"Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'”
- I wonder about the light.
- I wonder how we follow Jesus.
- I wonder why Jesus does not want us to walk in darkness.
- I wonder what it is like to walk in the light.
- I wonder how we can respond to the gift of this light.
Thursday, February 4th
John 9:5-7 Healing the Man Blind from Birth
“'While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'” When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay with His saliva, and He smeared the clay on his eyes and said to him 'Go wash in the pool of Siloam'(which means sent). So he went and washed and came back able to see."
- I wonder what Jesus wants us to know by healing this man and showing us this sign.
- I wonder how the man responded to this gift of sight.
- I wonder if there are other ways we see besides physically with our eyes. I wonder if we can see with our hearts and minds.
- I wonder if there is something, we would like Jesus to heal in us.
- I wonder about the light.
Friday, February 5th
John 10:14-17 The Good Shepherd
"I am the Good Shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These I must also lead, and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock, one shepherd."
- I wonder what a shepherd does. I wonder what makes this shepherd good.
- I wonder how the shepherd knows His sheep. I wonder how they know Him.
- I wonder how this shepherd lays His life down for His sheep.
- I wonder how the sheep recognize His voice. I wonder can recognize the voice of the shepherd.
- I wonder who are these other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
- I wonder when we will all be one flock.
Saturday, February 6th
John 11:40-44 Lazarus has Dies and is Brought Back to Life
"Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the Glory of God?' So they took away the stone. Jesus raised His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I say this, that they may believe you have sent me.' And when He had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, 'Lazarus come out!' The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, 'Untie him and let him go.'"
- I wonder what Jesus wants us to know by performing this sign and bringing Lazarus back to life.
- I wonder, what does this say about Jesus, that he has the power to command the dead to life.
- I wonder how all the people there that day responded to this sign. I wonder how Lazarus responded to this gift of life.