Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
Mt 9:27-31 Full Readings
Saint Nicholas
Do You Believe I Can Do This?
Brethren, an encounter with Jesus liberates us from our physical and spiritual darkness. Consider the blind men in Matt 9:27 in that light. They lived in darkness, but when they embraced Jesus, great light shone on them. Think of Nicodemus also; he came to Jesus in the night (Jn 3:2), a symbol of darkness, and was enlightened by Jesus. Thenceforth, he started speaking for the light (cf Jn 7:50–51). The messiah can also liberate you from the darkness of your deficiencies and restore you to wholeness (cf. Isa 29:17-24). You only need to embrace the virtues of meekness and humility (Isa 29:19) as well as faith in Jesus (Mt 9:28). May your restoration be whole in this season of the Lord so that your joy may be complete in the Lord.
Faith, well defined, is the force that Jesus used to perform his miracles. Notice the statement, "Your faith has healed you," after Jesus performed most of the miracles. Jesus made sure that he imbues or arises faith in the one to whom the miracle was to be made. Today's question, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" was intended for this purpose. Jesus put them to the test, not to rebuff them but to strengthen their faith and trust in God's mercy. He touched their eyes, both to identify with their affliction and to awaken faith in them. Their faith grew as they responded to his word with confident hope. Jesus restored their sight—both physically and spiritually—to the reality of God's kingdom. Faith opens the way for us to see the power of God's kingdom and to experience his healing presence in our lives.
Faith is key to this transformation. How can we grow in faith? Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of his love. For faith to be effective, it must be linked with trust and obedience—an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands.
Advent is the time to grow deeper in our faith as we prepare for the coming Messiah. If we want to receive the peace, healing, restoration, mercy, and all the blessings that come with the Messiah, then our faith in him must grow deeper and deeper every day. God transforms those who put their hope and trust in him. God wants to change and transform our lives to set us free to live as his sons and daughters and citizens of his kingdom. Let faith make us worthy of this transformation.
Let us Pray
Lord Jesus, all things were created through you. I truly believe that you can heal; I truly believe that you can cure; I truly believe that you have total power over all created realities. Please increase my faith in you and your power over all the events and activities of my life. I believe that you permit all that happens to me for a reason. If it is something that is difficult, you permit it so that you can bring good from it. Please strengthen me so that I can collaborate with you in bringing good out of evil. Amen
Be blessed
No comments:
Post a Comment