FAITH OPENS THE WAY FOR US TO SEE
Isaiah also speaks of a time when the blind will see, the
deaf will hear, and the lowly will rejoice. What if that time is now?
In today's Gospel we
hear about Jesus restoring the sight of two blind men. But before He does, He
asks them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" Only after they
answer "Yes," does Jesus touch their eyes. Most importantly, though,
He said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." Jesus puts
them to the test, not to rebuff them, but to strengthen their faith in God's
mercy and love. He touches their eyes both to identify with their affliction
and to awaken faith in their hearts. Jesus restores their sight, both
physically and spiritually, to the reality of God in their presence.
The Psalm used today
brings the Scripture readings together so well. It is a very uplifting Psalm
and should be read often. When you reflect upon these prayerful words hopefully
you find you find them to be as inspiring and encouraging as I did. After reading
about Jesus restoring the sight of two blind men who expressed their confidence
in Him, it's very appropriate for us to proclaim, "The Lord is my light
and my salvation" (Ps 27:1a). The more we get to know ourselves (which is
an on-going journey), the more we recognize how blind we can be. We can be
blind to the signs of God's love and care for us in the world around us. We can
be blind to sources of beauty and joy around us, and so on.
Let's pray that the
light of God may shine in our hearts and take away our blindness. In the Psalm,
we declare our own faith and belief that our heavenly Father can heal our
blindness and give us the grace to see. We ask one thing of God: to dwell in
God's house so that we "may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord." We
declare our faith: "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the
Lord" (Ps 27:13). Isaiah also speaks of a time when the blind will see,
the deaf will hear, and the lowly will rejoice. What if that time is now?
Transformation is already taking place. We simply need to be open enough to
seeing, hearing and being, like never before!