Let me start with a question: Have you ever tried to walk into the ocean slowly? You start with your toes. It's cold. So, you wait. Then your ankles. Still bearable. Then to your knees, still ok. But then comes that dreaded moment, the wave crashes, and you’re suddenly soaked to your waist. Some laugh. Some run back to shore screaming. Some just dive in.
Ezekiel had a vision a bit like that, we hear of water trickling out from the Temple—starting small, ankle-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep, and finally a river so vast no one could cross it. Wherever this water flowed, life bloomed. Trees bore fruit. Salt water turned fresh. Everything lived because of the water.
Living Water vs. Stagnant Water
In today’s reading from the Gospel of John, we meet a man who’s been lying near a pool for 38 years. That’s not just a bad day at the spa—that’s a lifetime of disappointment. Every time the waters stir, someone else gets in before him. Until Jesus arrives—not with a bucket or a floatie, but with healing.
Let’s talk about these two waters: Ezekiel’s flowing river and John’s stagnant pool. The first moves, the second just sits there, waiting to be stirred. One brings life wherever it goes. The other becomes a source of frustration for a man who cannot move fast enough.
God's Grace Moves
Now let’s bring this home—to your families, your marriages, your parenting, your personal walk with God. Some of us have become pool people. We sit, waiting. Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for someone to fix things. Waiting for the kids to behave, for the spouse to change, for peace and quiet to finally arrive. Waiting for the “water to stir.” And sometimes, just like the man at the pool, we end up disappointed for years.
But Ezekiel's vision reminds us: God’s grace isn’t meant to be contained. It moves. It deepens. It flows into dry lands. The invitation is not to sit and wait, but to wade in—step by step. Families don’t flourish because everything is perfect. They grow because someone dares to go deeper, together, with God.
He Is Always with Us
Let me share a story. A mother of four once told me that every evening felt like surviving a small war—homework battles, dinner disasters, sibling arguments. One night, her 7-year-old, after a particularly chaotic dinner, gave her a drawing of the family dinner table. To her surprise Everyone in the drawing was smiling. Even the dog. She looked at it and laughed, saying, “This is not what how our dinner table looks!” But the child replied, “I drew how I want it to be. I think God can help us.” That, my friends, is ankle-deep water becoming knee-deep.
You see, God doesn’t wait for us at the deep end with a stopwatch. He walks with us. Step by step. As you forgive your spouse again, even though you're tired. As you choose to be patient with a teenager who rolls their eyes like it’s an Olympic sport. As you gather for a family meal, even if it ends in spilled juice and someone storming off. This is how the river flows through your home—quietly, persistently, bringing life.
Jump Right In
So today, don’t be afraid to jump in. Let your family be like the river in Ezekiel—nourished by grace, flowing into others, deepening over time. The trickle becomes a stream. The stream becomes a flood. And healing flows—not just in moments of peace, but especially in the mess. Because grace, my dear friends, doesn’t wait. It moves. And so should we.
- Father Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
