Daily reflection _ open our eyes and free us


OPEN OUR EYES AND FREE US
We are the ones who have been called by name, grasped by the hand, led to a place where if we trust, then something marvelous happens to us.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
Our Christianity really is not about fulfilling all the needs that are around us. It's not about tasks. It's not about getting things done or fixing things. Fundamentally, the feast of the Incarnation reminds us that what we are asked to do is to participate in a great mystery. That is the heart of Christianity. The mystery is to trust and to believe that God is truly in you and me. God's task is to be the source of energy, life, and grace. He is to be the source that gets the work done - most importantly the work of our sanctification.
In today's readings, it's clear that the work is twofold: We are to help people to see and to help people to be free. From the very beginning, human beings were conscious of the fact that they were unable to see all that they needed to see. They knew they couldn't be free of all of the burdens that are part of life on this planet. And so, they longed for someone, something to come along and to help them live in a manner befitting their calling as God's children. That's what the longing for a Messiah is all about. Isaiah was one of the clearest voices telling us that there would be someone coming to fulfill our needs. This teacher will not shout or scream because he will speak the truth. Isaiah proclaimed: The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it. Comfort give comfort to my people says our God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her quilt is expiated ( Is 40: 1-2 ). This is God, who has "grasped their hand." Isaiah also says this is the work of "opening people's eyes, of freeing them from that which burdens them."
We are like Christ. We are the ones who have been called by name, grasped by the hand, led to a place where if we trust, then something marvelous happens to us. The power of God can open our eyes and free us from the things that bind us. This was our prayer today in the responsorial psalm. When you send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth ( Ps 104: 30).
Points to Pray and Ponder: Trusting and believing that we have a role as significant as Christ's is quite a challenge. Jesus began Nazareth, simply being God's instrument of light, grace, and peace. He has opened the eyes of each one of us!