To be made well

By The Rt Rev’d Jennifer A. Reddall, sixth bishop of Arizona

Jesus asks a sick man in this Sunday’s Gospel (John 5:1-9), “Do you want to be made well?”

As my heart has been hurting the last few days over the racially-motivated murders of ten people in Buffalo, NY, I keep hearing Jesus asking that question of us. “Us” could mean any of several groups of people: Americans, people who are White, elected government officials, Christians… the list goes on and on.

Do we want to be made well?

Do we want to be made well from our racial hatred and violence? Do we want to be made well from our epidemic of gun violence?

And my heart breaks because I am afraid I know the answer.

Collectively, we may want to be well. We think it would be good if racism and violence ended.

But collectively I do not believe, today, that we have the fortitude or the courage or the faith to do what it would take to be made well.

To be made well would be to allow ourselves to be changed. I could list all the steps and areas that I believe are necessary—and others could add to them. It is not required or fore-ordained that we accept and live with racism and gun violence. There are things we could collectively do to heal, to bring justice, and to prevent gun violence. But a plan without desire is just busy work.

So until we want to be well, people bear the cost in Buffalo. And all the other racially-motivated shootings in our nation. And in our schools, as our children die in shootings.

I do have faith in this: Jesus wants us to be made well. Jesus does not want us to remain in our sin—neither the sin of active racial hatred nor the sin of apathy at addressing it. And those of us who do want to be made well cannot give up in our actions, our teaching, and our advocacy. Because someday we will get a new heart and a new spirit, and we will be well.

I pray that day is soon.