There is a statement in the first reading that, in my opinion, summarizes the theme of today’s readings and responsorial psalm: “And out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.” This reading is taken from the prophet Isaiah, and it describes the signs that will accompany the manifestation of the Messiah.
By God’s goodness, I have always had the gift of sight! I wear glasses, but other than that, I can see perfectly. However, there have been many moments in my life in which I have been totally blind, in a different, and I would say, in a worse way. There have been times in which I have not seen the love of God, because of my self-absorption, my dwelling on my weaknesses and sins. Or, because of the wounds of my history.
I have also been in the darkness and blindness that are product of not being in communion with someone, be it for my judgments, my prejudices or because of some disagreement of argument. I have also experienced the inability to see beyond a problem or a situation for which I do not have a solution or an answer and then I live in the darkness of my own thoughts and anxieties. In all these circumstances, even if physically I can perfectly see, I have experienced the darkness, isolation, and even loneliness that I am sure a blind person may experience due to his or her physical condition.
Relating to the Blind Men
Thus, I can relate with the blind men in the Gospel and their approach to Jesus fills me with great hope, because it shows me the way in which I can be cured from my blindness. Indeed, the Gospel is great news because it encourages me to ask for the faith these men had, which allowed them to see in a much more powerful and perfect way than seeing with their physical eyes.
What is it that these men are able to see? They are able to see in Jesus Christ the sent one by God to cure their blindness. Indeed, seeing that they addressed him as “the Son of David,” pleading for pity, Jesus asks them: “Do you believe that I can do this?” It is as if the Lord is asking, “do you believe that I am God among you, with the power to restore sight to the blind and to make it possible for you to pass from darkness into light?” They are not able “to see” Jesus. They do not know if he is tall or short, what color of eyes he has, if he has a dark complexion or if his skin is fair. They are not able to see any of that.
However, they perfectly see who He is and what He can do for them. Thus, the answer, “Yes Lord.” With the eyes of faith, they “see” that this man is the Lord, the Adonai, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…the only one with power over their difficult and precarious situation. In receiving this answer, the Lord replies in the only way He replies when he sees faith in a person: “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” Their physical sight was restored and thus they were confirmed in what the sight of their souls had already seen: the son of God right in front of them.
Word of Hope
This word is a source of great hope for all of us! I am sure most of you are enjoying the gift of physical sight. However, I am sure that, like me, many of you have experienced or are experiencing the worse kind of blindness: the blindness of the soul, the blindness of the spirit. I am sure that many of you are anxious about something and are not able “to see” a way out. Others are probably weighed down by the discouragement that is produced by your sins, your weaknesses and your failures, and are not able “to see” clearly the love of God.
Yet others are probably blinded by anxieties and worries and oppressed by the darkness of hopelessness or sadness. To all of you I say: Courage!! Jesus Christ is risen! He is passing by through these readings, as he passed by the two blind men, offering all of us the possibility to recover our sight: the sight of our soul and of our heart.
Do not be discouraged! Do not give up! Cry out to him, as these men did. Call him out as the one sent by God to cure your blindness and to take you out of your darkness. Join the psalmist in saying: “the Lord is my light and my salvation.” God loves you!! He has sent His son Jesus Christ to cure any kind of blindness you may be experiencing today.
Call out to him, take advantage of this time of Advent. Pray and ask the Lord to give you the faith of these blind men, so that when in your heart you hear Him saying: “Do you believe that I can do this?” your answer may be yes, and the eyes of your soul may be opened to the immense love He has for you! Once again, courage!! The Lord loves you all!
