Revelation 1 : 1-4; 2: 1-5 a,
Ps 1:1-2.3.4,
Luke 18:35-43 Full Readings
Saint Margaret of ScotlandWhat Do You Want Me to Do for you?
Brethren, we are approaching the end of the liturgical year and the church provides us with readings related to the end of time, calling us for preparation for the end of time, for we never know when the day when the Son of Man is going to come back and sit on his throne to judge the living and the dead. This call for preparation for the coming of the Son of Man is not to instill fear in us but to encourage us to put on the armor of faith, love and to live according to God's will in our lives. With this, we shall be found worthy to enjoy eternity with Christ.
Therefore, from today till the end of the liturgical year we shall be reading from the book of Apocalypse, or Revelation, which interpretes what awaits us at the coming of the Son of Man so that we may be fully prepared for that hour not to get us unprepared. The Gospels, especially Sunday Gospels, have been trying few weeks ago, and will, until the end of the liturgical year, show us the urgency of preparing for the coming of the master and we how shall be judged according to the way we lived, and thus encouraging us to have persistence faith in God, persistence in prayer, living in charity and love with one another and having no fear for this day because we are the children of light not darkness.
In today's Gospel as Jesus heals the blind man at Jericho, we can see three aspects which we can reflect on as we live our Christian life.
The first aspect is the faith and persistence of the blind man in asking that Jesus should heal him. The crowds tried to stop him but he continued to cry out 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me' until Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring him and then healed him. Mercy in the Bible is not only the act of forgiving but the restoration of life, of the whole human being to his or her original state, and so the blind man was asking Jesus to restore his life. Since he knew what he wanted, nobody, even the big crowds, could stop him. This is the persistence we should have in prayer as Christians, so that God will hear our cries. There are many crowds in our life which try to stop us from praying, like destructions in prayer and many others, and so today we are invited to examine those destructions in Prayer so that we overcome them and persist in prayer in all that we do.
The second aspect is the question which Jesus asked the blind man, 'What do you want me to do for you?' and the man answered, 'let me see again.' Brethren, everyday Jesus asks, and even today, the same question and we should learn from this blind man, his precise answer. Jesus doesn't need our many words of lamentation but he needs straight answers for he knows what we want already. In our lives there are a lot of blindness, especially spiritual blindness and it's an invitation today to see those blind spots in our lives and answer the question, 'what do you want me to do for you?' so that Jesus will have mercy on us and heal us.
The last aspect is the praise and the following of Jesus after the blind man regained his sight and his life was restored to normal. He automatically recognizes that his life is meant to live only to praise and follow Jesus and that's what he did and our invitation too. Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th century church father, comments on this blind man.
Now that he was delivered from his blindness, did he neglect the duty of loving Christ? He certainly did not. It says, "He followed him, offering him glory like to God." He was set free from double blindness. Not only did he escape from the blindness of the body but also from that of the mind and heart. He would not have glorified him as God, had he not possessed spiritual vision. He became the means of others giving Christ glory, for it says that all the people gave glory to God.(Commentary on Luke, Homily 126). This is an invitation for us to praise God abd follow him always for he has done and is still going to do marvelous things in our lives.
Reflect today on the question of Jesus today. What are the things you want Jesus to do for you in your life? Tell them to him in prayer. Do you give glory to God for giving you the "eyes of faith" to recognize him as your Lord and Healer?
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart and mind that I may see and understand the truth and goodness of your word. As I respond to the question, 'What do you want me to do for you?' may I never fail to recognize your presence with me and to call upon your saving grace in my time of need and healing. Amen
Be blessed
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