Unrequited Love.

Thornton Wilder's one-act play "The Angel that Troubled the Waters," based on John 5:1-4, dramatizes the power of the pool of Bethseda to heal whenever an angel stirred its waters. A physician comes periodically to the pool hoping to be the first in line and longing to be healed of his melancholy. The angel finally appears but blocks the physician just as he is ready to step into the water. The angel tells the physician to draw back, for this moment is not for him. The physician pleads for help in a broken voice, but the angel insists that the healing is not intended for him.

"Without your wounds where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and women. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children on the earth as can one human being broken on the wheels of living. In Love's service, only wounded soldiers can serve. Physician, draw back."

To be continued...