Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke a blind man who asked Jesus for help….The crowd tried to silence this man, but he persisted to ask for help until he got Jesus’ attention….."What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God.”……….I find this exchange interesting - Why? - As soon as this man asked Jesus for sight - He received it…..Now for the question for all of us to consider - Do we really want to “see”?….I say that because people in our world today only “see” what suits them…The rest is ignored or is “someone else’s problem”….Justice and equity is “viewed” through a myopic lens - Welcome to America today!….I do not know the mind of God but I can tell you this - God does not operate in that manner……When we strive to purify our hearts - We “see”……We also consider how events, laws and governments effect “the other”……When we strive to purify our heart, our views broaden because our concerns broaden……What are the “things” that get in the way of our “vision”?…....We get our answer to that question in the first reading today at Mass found in the Book of Maccabees……………”In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law, and they seduced many people, saying: "Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us; since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us." The proposal was agreeable; some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the way of living of the Gentiles”……….When we conform to “the ways of the world” we turn our backs on God - This happens intentionally or unintentionally but the reality is - It happens!.......We can not have it both ways….And when we turn from God…Our “vision” is compromised.
“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life”
There is a saying often repeated in Catholic circles……”Lord - Give me a teachable spirit”….What does that mean?…It means we allow God to “change our mind”, when facts, logic and information goes against long held beliefs or even lifestyle choices……Do you have a teachable spirit?…..Do you allow God to be God?………I have often wondered if being financially blessed is really a blessing because life is so short and eternity is forever!…..What I have found in my travels more times then not…People who have nothing, not only listen to God - They cling to him….And when we deceive ourself, due to our financial circumstances, we falsely believe we are in control - Its then that life unwinds and everything falls apart - Why? - Because we forget God…..Sadly, most people have to come to the end of themself - What does that mean?…They have to “try everything” - And when they do, they begin to see that none of those pursuits bring them happiness and in many cases, those choices cause chaos as opposed to bring order…..When a person is honest with themself at that moment - They are then open to “see” the world as it is - Reality strikes home! - God is God and we are not - That is reality!…..America is not at that moment right now….We still “think” we are in control…But I got some news for those reading this reflection - A “turning point” moment is approaching….The American standard of living is soon to be lowered dramatically for the average family, which is most families from coast to coast…The “American Dream” as we have known it….Go to college, get a good job, buy a house, get married and have children is disappearing….Don’t believe me? - Look at the metrics - They are very clear…..Maybe then, when we as a people “get to the end of ourselves”, we will take a good long sober look at what got us to this point…..Until then, we are blind as a people and a nation……Jesus today asks us as he did the man in the Gospel…..."What do you want me to do for you?”…….Are we really interested in the answer? - Or do we want to hear what our “itchy ears want to hear”?…..How we respond will determine what we “see”
“As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
Today at Mass we hear in the first reading how the Israelites forget about God - And everything falls apart….Then in the Gospel, a blind man asks Jesus for sight…..After pondering the Gospel today - Here is a question to consider - What brought the blind man to the point that he asked Jesus for his sight back?….Maybe it was the fact that he suffered for years - And he came to the point that God was the only person who could help him…..Now lets fast forward to today…..Are we too blind?…..But unlike the man in the Gospel - It does not seem to appear we are “ready” to ask for our sight back…..America is not interested!……We “see” this is in our choices - Oh - we give “lip service” to God - And as we do - We have mainstreamed objective mortal sins so grave I shutter when I think about them….These behaviors are now so common, our people do not even blink at them……I can not help but think of the words of Jesus as he was about to enter Jerusalem……”As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation”……Who is this Jesus? - Are we really interested in him or the man we have created him to be? - What we “see” depends upon our answer……………..JMJ
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