A mystery might be defined as something hidden or veiled.

In Jesus our Lord the mystery was revealed, as St. Paul tells us, “the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past … has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27)

St. John Chrysostom also describes the mystery. He tells us that if an unbeliever enters a church during a baptism, all he sees is people being washed. But a believer sees people being reborn in the Spirit. The unbeliever sees only with the eyes of the body, the believer sees with the inner eyes of the soul.

When we are baptized all our body sees and feels is water, but by the Spirit our sins are washed away and we become children of God.

When we receive Holy Communion, all we see and taste with the eyes and mouth of the body is bread and wine. But with the eyes of the Spirit we see the forgiveness of sins and the bread of life. In baptism, we made a commitment to Christ and we renounced the slavery of sin. St. Paul: “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)”

Therefore, today’s story of the Paralytic Man. He sees the water of Bethesda, but it is the presence of God, Jesus our Lord come in the power of the Spirit, who gives him the strength to walk. This teaches us that by ourselves we cannot be healed or saved. We need the grace and strength of God to find forgiveness and life. Baptism is not just the day of our washing in water consecrated by the Spirit, it is renewed every day by our choice again and again to follow Christ day by day. Baptism, Communion, Forgiveness and Life are constant realities leading us to the fullness of life in Christ.