Faith Heals

𝐃𝐄𝐂. 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟐𝟗:𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟒

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟐𝟕:𝟏, 𝟒, 𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟒 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟗:𝟐𝟕-𝟑𝟏

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟗) 

         Sunglasses or what the youths today refer to as shades is something that the Jews and Gentiles alike probably did not imagine that it would become a fad some 2,000 years into the future.

         During the time of Jesus, blindness was a common disease, and this malady was caused primarily by the sun’s glare on the eyes as well as the sand and dust particles that are carried by the strong winds which was a normal occurrence at that time. Besides leaving their eyes unprotected, the matter of hygiene also contributed to the high incidence of blindness among the Jews.

         But there are times, however, when people can also suffer from blindness though not in a physical sense. This happens when people become blind to see the truth that is before them and would rather live and patronize the lies permeating in the world around them.

         The two characters in this Gospel passage are physically blind who were probably told that Jesus was passing by on the street where they must have been a fixture. Though blind, they knew if it was Jesus who was passing by as there was always a commotion when Jesus walks on the street as it was normal for Rabbis to talk or preach to their disciples while they are on the road.

        And the two blind men knew exactly how to get the attention of Jesus amidst the commotion. They shouted, “𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟕) But instead of responding as he usually does, Jesus went into the house where the two blind men followed him.

         It was here that Jesus asked, “𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?” “𝐘𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝,” 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 (𝐯.𝟐𝟖). And Jesus touched their eyes saying: “𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟗)        

        These exchanges between Jesus and the two blind men will show why Jesus held back from responding immediately to the request of the two blind men on the street. It was when they followed him to the house that he asked if they believed because Jesus wanted to be sure the two blind men were sincere in their pleading and knew in their hearts what Jesus could do for them.

         The two blind men showed their true faith when they followed Jesus into the house, and it was this kind of faith that moved Jesus especially when they shouted “𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝” as this placed Jesus in the position of the Messiah that the Jews have been waiting for centuries to emerge from the line of David.

         It was in this figure of a Messiah that the two blind men thought of Jesus as they figured from what they have heard of him that he was someone who could not only restore their eye sights but one who would lead the people to freedom. Besides the faith exhibited by the two blind men it was also probable that their use of the title “𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝” was what moved Jesus to heal them.

         It is the same with most of us who are saddled with blind spots in our lives that we cannot see the beauty of God’s creation as we fill our senses and our hearts with happiness that is fleeting, and it is when everything doesn’t seem to work anymore that we think of Jesus.

         To reclaim our position as someone created in the image and likeness of God (𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝟏:𝟐𝟔) we need to reenergize our faith in the One True God because only faith will open the way for us to see the Kingdom of God and experience his healing presence in our lives.

        But for us to experience the mercy and healing love of Jesus we need to recognize him for who he is. Like the two blind men, we also need to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior in whom we can place our complete trust and confidence. I grew up in a Catholic environment and went to a Catholic school in the early years of my education, but I was swept by the corruption of the world as I grew up.

         I am grateful for the advent of the renewal movement that our God found me at a time when I no longer knew what to make out of my life. I equated everything then in material terms filled with the wrong notion that these are all that matters.

        Little did I know that I am being carried by the undercurrent of the world away from the God whom I didn’t realize was the source of all that I had and possess. Today, I have been dispossessed of the material things that blinded me in the past but there is now more joy that is incomparable. 

         We can all use this Advent Season as a time for examining our lives, where we stand in relation to our faith and where we want to go from here. Life is always made up of choices, and our future is determined by the choices that we make. We can either remain in the world and all the destruction that it brings to our spiritual lives or we can hope for God’s mercy and love to heal us of all our physical and spiritual infirmities through the forgiveness of our sins.

         God’s mercy and healing is readily available to anyone, but we must have faith because it is only through faith that we can recognize our imperfection and need for forgiveness and healing. And faith is the power that will allow us to know God in a personal way, understand his truth that will allow us the privilege of living in the power of his love.

         And for faith to be effective, it must stand on our complete trust and obedience to God. This means submitting to God and being equipped with the disposition to subordinate our human will to the Will of God and do whatever he commands us to do.

         It is not enough that we know who Jesus from what is being said about him because there is an ocean of difference between knowing about him and knowing him in the way that we know our friends who are close to us.

         When Jesus asked the two blind men if they believed he could heal them, he was not trying to hold back on his response, but he merely wanted to test their faith. And for faith to become effective and operable it must be founded on total dependence on God and a willingness to do his will.

         It is the same with us because Jesus wants us to live with expectant faith that he will fulfill his promises and bring us to the fullness of his kingdom, “𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭.” (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟒:𝟏𝟕)        

         And even when Jesus told the two blind men not to tell anyone, they still went around to spread the news. Why? Because of the joy that was in them. And it must be so for us who have received God’s mercy and love, and it is out of this abundance that we cannot contain that should propel us to tell of God’s Kingdom to everyone around us.

         This should be the same with us who are commanded to go and proclaim the Good News to the ends of the earth. Just like the Apostles who accepted death with joy, our proclamation of the Gospel must bring joy to our hearts.

         As we closed the Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Calendar, we open our doors to the celebration of the Advent Season which is a period of waiting for the joy of the Gospel to come into the world and with it the renewal of all baptized Catholics who have a duty to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘋𝘦𝘤. 5, 2025)