There are only three types of people in the world. First, people who make things happen. Second, people who watch things happen. And third, people who wake up suddenly and say, “What happened?!”

Which of the three types are you? My prayer is that we lessen being the second and eliminate as much as possible being the third. Why? Because we always have a choice. We are not destined to go blindly unaware of where we’re headed and what we’re doing with our lives. We all can choose to be better. 

Kaizen means “continuous improvement.” As an organizational development practitioner and a strengths coach, I believe we’re all called to grow and progress —individually and collectively. Change is our choice. What you’re not changing, you’re choosing. I joined a program with that title to get into shape and improve my fitness. It helped me beyond my physical health and made me even more determined to better myself in all aspects of life.

Jesus calls us to a new life in all aspects. He came so we may be set free and live life to the full. Maybe it’s time you consider His offer. 

Jonathan Yogawin (coachj@jyogawin.com)

reflect

What kind of person are you called to be? Go and make it happen.

Holy Spirit, what do You want? I surrender my former ways. Create me anew!

Saint Dentlin, pray for us.

Today’s reading from the last section of Isaiah’s prophecies is known as “Third Isaiah.” This encourages the Jewish people to return from exile and rebuild their nation, starting with Jerusalem. On this encouraging note, Isaiah reminds the people of God’s faithfulness in the past and urges them to have the firm hope that things can be good again.

¹⁷ Thus says the Lord: Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; ¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; ²⁰ no longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; he dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed. ²¹ They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

R: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

² I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. ⁴ O Lord, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. (R) ⁵ Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. ⁶ For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. (R) ¹¹ “Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me; O Lord, be my helper.” ¹² You changed my mourning into dancing; ¹³ O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks. (R)

Gospel | John 4:43-54

We can pray for someone’s healing even if we do not know the person and they are not physically present. This is the efficacy of prayer—that is, prayer works! The power of prayer comes from God, not from us. In prayer, we submit ourselves and our intentions to the Lord and await His response to us. 

Gospel Acclamation

Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you.

⁴³ At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. ⁴⁵ When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. ⁴⁶ Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. ⁴⁸ Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. ⁵¹ While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. ⁵² He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” ⁵³ The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. 54 Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

Read the Bible in one year! Read GENESIS 16 - 18 today.

A father brought his sick child to a doctor. The child had been weak for months, and no medicine seemed to work. The doctor, after examining the child, looked at the father and said, “The best cure is not just medicine; it’s making sure he is nourished with the right food daily.”

Many times, we go to Jesus asking for healing. And yes, Jesus heals. But His mission is not just about temporary healing; it is about making us whole. In today’s Gospel, a royal official begs Jesus to heal his dying son. Jesus simply says, “Go, your son will live,” and the man believes. His son is healed not by magic but by faith in Jesus’ word.

Jesus’ entire mission can be summarized as a mission of healing. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He restored our broken relationship with the Father. 

Through His public ministry, He healed the sick, the blind, and the crippled. And through the Holy Eucharist, His broken body makes us whole again.

The question is this: Do we only seek healing, or do we seek the Healer Himself? Jesus offers more than just healing—He offers Himself. And it is in the Holy Eucharist where we find Him most fully.

The Eucharist is not just a ritual or a symbol—it is Jesus Himself. It is the source and summit of our healing, the place where the Healer meets us. But we must receive Him worthily. Saint Paul reminds us that receiving the Eucharist in a state of sin brings judgment upon us (1 Corinthians 11:29). The Eucharist is not magic; it is grace. It does not work automatically—it requires faith, humility, and a heart open to true healing. Let us receive Him in the Eucharist with faith, with a clean heart, and with love so that we may be healed completely, not just for a moment but for eternity. 

Fr. Toto Cerada, SDB

reflection questions

Do you seek Jesus only when you need something? Or do you desire to be close to Him every day as the source of your healing and strength?

Lord Jesus, You are the true Healer of my body and soul. Help me seek not just Your gifts but You alone. Cleanse my heart and make me whole. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ___________________________________