THE LORD HEALS OUR BLINDNESS

December 6, 2024 – Friday of the First Week of Advent

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120624.cfm)

When a person is blind physically, usually, other senses of the body are being enhanced and are more developed. Like for example, the sense of touch or hearing and smell are all heightened to also compensate the deprived sense of seeing. This makes a blind person to be able to recognize things and people and go one with life. However, when we pretend to be blind, not being able to see and recognize what surrounds us, nothing is heightened but in fact we only deteriorate. And it is more difficult to cure this kind of blindness.

Having such two kinds of blindness, our readings today give us the insight and the humility to recognize our own blindness and to ask the Lord for the grace of healing. Indeed, the miracle of making the blind see was foretold by the prophets. This is a recurring theme the whole Bible.

Prophet Isaiah in the first reading told us that the Messiah shall open the eyes of the blind. The prophet foretold, “And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” God grants healing to our blindness and insights to our spirit. This gives us joy in the Lord because God shall also bring the tyrant, the arrogant and all those that oppress us to their end. Those were the very people who cannot and even refused to recognize their own blindness.

In the Gospel of Matthew the two blind men presented to us their interesting encounter with Jesus. They followed Jesus, cried and shouted, “SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON US!”

Though they were blind physically, but they were one of those who truly recognized Jesus as the Messiah. These men did not see physically the face of Jesus or the miracles done by Jesus. They were only dependent on others who conveyed to them the person of Jesus.

And despite that Jesus seemed not to hear them when they first cried out, the two persisted and still followed the Lord and begged him. When Jesus was about to enter a house, they were able to catch up with him, and the two seized that opportunity.

That was their moment of encounter with Jesus. Jesus himself asked them, “DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT I CAN HEAL YOU?” Jesus asked because without their complete trust, Jesus cannot do anything.  And both of them eagerly responded, “YES, LORD!”

The trust of these blind men allowed Jesus to TOUCH them gently and lovingly. And their eyes were opened. The opening of their eyes was more than physical sight, they gained insight as well as they saw the face of God.

This very encounter with Jesus overwhelmed their hearts with joy and gratitude. Despite the command of Jesus not to tell others about what happened, they cannot but share to others what they have experienced.

Jesus indeed is the Messiah and the two blind men taught us that we will only recognize the Lord through the eyes of faith, of complete trust in the Lord even when the Lord seems not to hear our prayers or seems to have not seen our difficulty in life.

However, with fervent prayer and unwavering trust in God who loves us, God will also ask us, “Do you believe in me?” It is only when we put our complete trust in the Lord, that we allow him to touch and to heal us.

And so for today, we are called to recognize our own blindness, or areas of blindness in our lives that need healing. Let us recognize that we too struggle with weaknesses and disabilities of one kind or another.

These areas in our life can be in terms of our own relationships with our friends, family members or co-workers and even within ourselves. It is good then, that we own our blindness and ask the Lord to touch and heal us.

In this Season of Advent, let this be our prayer too, that the Lord will heal our own blindness so that we will see him more clearly, follow him more closely and love him more dearly. Hinaut pa.