Trust Walk

Today’s gospel is a beautiful trust walk. Jesus leads the blind man outside the city because He knew that not only was He going to touch his eyes, but also He would use his own spit to heal him and if the Pharisees witnessed this act of “uncleanliness”, it would have caused some serious scandal. While Jesus could handle the scandal He didn’t want to bring scandal to this man, his faithful friends, and his family, so He gently moved him to a more private place. I love the tenderness that we see in Jesus today. Meditate on it because it is a special and lovely scene.

When Jesus spit on the man’s eyes, I wonder if He spit into his own hands first or if he gently spit directly on his eyes. Both ways have an intimacy about them that reveals Jesus’ true nature. He wants and needs to be close to us. Jesus takes his own breath (or Spirit) and combines it with his own DNA (or spit) and places his very essence on this man’s eyes (on our broken hearts, or our wounded lives). He does it once, and then checks in with the man, “Can you see anything?” The man responds truthfully, yes, but things are still a little blurry. How powerful this exchange is. Healing is a process and it is Jesus, God Himself, who checks back in with him (and us) to see where he (and we) is (and are) in the healing process. When the man tells him he’s not there yet, Jesus goes in again and this time touches his eyes with His hands. He will never stop the healing process if we ask. This, my friends, is an excellent model of prayer. 

·      Begging for God to be near to us, to hold us, to touch us 

·      Receiving the grace that He breathes on our hurting lives 

·      Listening when God asks us where we are in the process 

·      Responding in faith and

·      Allowing God to finish the good work He began in us

His sight was restored and he saw everything. This indicates that the man could see before and he went blind rather than was born blind. It’s a good metaphor for how sin can steal our vision. Jesus sent him straight home and didn’t want him to go into the village, A. Share your blessings first and foremost with your family, B. He knew that the village would immediately begin to gossip over the scandalous way in which he was healed and Jesus really really really wants us to avoid this kind of behavior, and C. Jesus knows when He tells people to keep things a “secret” they will tell all and that was His plan. We need to tell people how we experience Christ in our lives. 

This sweet little scene has so much depth to it.

·      Let our faith be big enough to trust that Jesus will heal us just by being close

·      When He takes us by the hand He will lead us to a place where He can be intimate with us

·      Receive His Spirit when He gives it

·      God is constantly checking in with us

·      If we need further healing, don’t be afraid to ask

·      Eventually, we will be restored to the way we were before hurt and sin stole our sight. 

It is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 JAS 1:19-27

Know this, my dear brothers and sisters:
everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
for anger does not accomplish
the righteousness of God.
Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess
and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.
He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets
what he looked like.
But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres,
and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts;
such a one shall be blessed in what he does.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Responsorial Psalm 15:2-3A, 3BC-4AB, 5

R.    (1b)  Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R.    Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R.    Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R.    Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?

Alleluia EPH 1:17-18

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.
R.    Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel MK 8:22-26

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”