I will never forget the Saturday afternoon in Georgia when my vision left me while I was speaking at a women’s retreat. I was reading a quote from Saint Pope John Paul II when all of a sudden, my vision was gone. I knew there was a music stand in front of me, so I reached to place the quote I could no longer read down and heard the single piece of paper flutter to the ground.

I missed the music stand.

I could only make figures out in the room.

So I finished the talk, spoke to some women afterward, and then realized I was alone in the room. I was blind and scared and didn’t know what to do. I uttered a prayer, walked out of the building, and from memory, made my way back to the cabin where I was staying.

I felt so alone like the man in John’s Gospel 5:1-16 who had no one to put him in the pools of Bethesda. But unlike this man, I refused to wait thirty-eight years for help! I had to accept the help of the people God was placing in my life to help me heal.

Many of us feel alone, even when a crowd surrounds us. We feel alone during seasons of known and unknown diagnoses, addictions, and breakups. But at this minute, Jesus Himself is coming to you and, just like this man in John’s Gospel, He knows what has been ailing you for a long time. He is asking you today, “Do you want to be well?”

What is your excuse? The man in John’s Gospel had a long explanation, and Jesus ignored it.

Jesus is ignoring your excuses too. He is asking you to pick up your mat and walk. Walk away from doubt, fear, and sin and walk toward healing, reconciliation, and love. Do you want to be well? Of course, you do, and Jesus wants to bring you to complete spiritual healing.

Take His hand as He helps you stand.

[bctt tweet="Jesus Himself is coming to you. // @SoCalTriciaT" username="blessedisshe__"]

Have you received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick? If you are struggling with an illness or medical condition, consider asking your priest about it. Read more here.

Tricia Tembreull is a California girl with a boundless passion for life. After two decades of ministering to teens and youth ministers as a trainer, ministry mentor, and speaker in Catholic youth ministry, Tricia now serves as Campus Minister at USC Caruso Catholic Center. She loves adventure and seeks it everywhere she goes. As an avid foodie, she enjoys testing new recipes out on friends and family, gathering them around the table to encounter Christ in one another and be drawn to the satisfying unity we crave in the Eucharist. You can find out more about her here.