Psalm15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
Healed Step by Step
Brethren, conversion, healing, and spiritual growth are always a gradual continuous process, and at once in today's gospel, Jesus shows this as he heals the blind man. There are quite important features to note in today's Gospel. Firstly, the people bring the blind man to Jesus. Secondly, Jesus takes a man outside the village and thirdly, Jesus heals the blind man step by step. Let us reflect on each of these.
Firstly, in the the gospels there are many passages where people, just as today, have brought their friends to Jesus and begged him to heal them, and each time, this teaches us to bring others to Christ. We sometimes think it is our mission as faithful disciples to convince the unchurched of the truth of Jesus Christ. This Gospel teaches us a different way. We are called to bring others to Christ in friendship. We can do this through a friendly invitation to Mass, a retreat, or faith study. We can do this by witnessing our Catholic identity in our words and actions. We can do this by bringing souls to Jesus in our intercessory prayers, asking the Holy Spirit to come into their lives.
Secondly, Jesus lead the blind man away from the village perhaps because Jesus very likely wanted to remove him from the distraction of bystanders and unbelieving skeptics for Jesus had even rebuked Bethsaida, "Woe to you Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you... You shall be brought down to Hades"(Luke 10:13, Matthew 11:21). More still, sometimes for our faith to grow, and convert more faithfully to Jesus, we need to be alone with Jesus and experience him as he is not hearing from others.
Thirdly, Jesus heals the blind man step by step, not that he was not capable of healing him at once, but to pass on an important lesson. The blind man and those who brought him had some faith, but not much. As a result, Jesus does something very telling. He allows the man to be healed only part way so as to illustrate his lack of faith. But He also reveals to us that a little faith can lead to more faith. The man, once he could see a little, clearly began to believe some more. And once his faith grew, Jesus laid hands on him again, bringing his healing to completion.
Faith is a journey and a process that needs to grow daily. Unless out faith in Jesus grows and reaches to that healed the blind man, the we are going to be getting half answers or no answers. Today you can decide to start the process of growing in faith, conversion and then get your healing. One of the ways of growing in faith is listening and reading the word of God, but as St James tells us in the first reading, we should not stop on hearing the word of God, but should do it. That's when our faith grows to the full.
St James, reaches us two things today. Firstly, we must do what the word of God tells us, otherwise it's nothing to hear and stop at that. Secondly, he t us what pure and true religion, perhaps Christian, is. It is coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world. This is what Jesus did and we his followers should do the same.
Reflect today on how far your faith journey has reached. Are you progressing or regressing? As the grave of the Holy Spirit so that as Jesus moved the blind man from little faith to great faith, he may also help you to grow stronger in faith everyday.
Let us pray
Send forth your Spirit Lord to walk with and guide me as I am on this journey of healing, conversion and growth in faith. Amen.
Be blessed
No comments:
Post a Comment