As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed (him), crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!" When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
Introductory Prayer: Open the eyes of my heart Lord, to see your goodness and know that you are God. Even when I can’t see you, I know of your presence and ever-abiding love, a love that is meant to be shared.
Petition: Lord, increase my faith! Give me eyes to see as you do.
1. Have mercy!
Imagine the blind men, stumbling along behind Jesus, trying to catch up, afraid of losing their opportunity with him. Their cries are loud and persistent. At that time, a physical handicap was often believed to be a form of punishment for the sins of the person or their parents. Christ has come to free our souls from the darkness of sin. He has come to open our eyes to the wonders of eternal life. Although these men were blind physically, they nevertheless recognized the mercy and love of God and were not afraid to ask for it.
2. By your faith.
The only prerequisite for a miracle is faith. We can recall that there were certain towns where Christ didn’t perform miracles because the people lacked faith. It is hard to believe, but the growth of Christ’s kingdom in us is limited only by our skepticism and lack of faith. God, who has created us, will not redeem us without our assent of faith. How many graces Christ wants to grant me, if only I had faith and the humility to ask! if only my prayer were persistent! He can heal my eyes if only I let him touch me. We do believe Lord, but help our lack of faith.
3. They spread the news
It is hard to fault the healed men for spreading the news. Who, after being healed of blindness wouldn’t want to tell the whole world about it? We are called to be apostles and spread the good news. Yet, this passage can teach us of prudence and obedience in faith, obeying even when we don’t understand. God always blesses obedience. Although the Gospels don’t give an answer, we can ask what difficulty the blind men caused for themselves and for Our Lord in doing their own thing. We always presume that we know better, yet we see that the path Christ chose was one of obedience, even when the whole world was to say, “come down off the cross and we will believe in you”. Our faith asks us to listen to Christ Jesus and do what he asks, even when we think we know a better way.
Dialogue with Christ: Lord, thank you for your mercy and grace. Thank you for the gift of faith, of sight, and the opportunity to love and follow you. Show me how you want to be served. I want to tell many people about you. Help me to be humble and do what you ask of me, not what I want to do. Help me to not only see clearly physically, but even more clearly by faith.
Resolution: I will pray to the Holy Spirit and ask him to help me speak of Christ and not of myself.
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