Friday of the First Week of Advent

Today's Readings

Today's First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah and the today's Gospel from Matthew both discuss people suffering from physical blindness. However, they are actually discussing that people will be open to God’s word. When this occurs, Isaiah said that Lebanon will become fertile, the deaf will finally begin to hear and the blind will begin to see.

Matthew discusses an incident when Jesus was preaching and healing the sick around Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee). Two men, who were blind, cried out seeking mercy on them. However, they acknowledged that Jesus was the son of David. They responded to Jesus when asked if they believed he could do this and they said yes and referred to Jesus as Lord. Though they were physically blind, they had already had their eyes opened as they believed that Jesus was God. Though we cannot see Jesus physically, we can communicate with him and acknowledge Him through prayer. As we enter this special time of the year, we can determine if we have any blind spots that are preventing us from seeing God’s power and mercy. Maybe we can reach out to someone during Advent to say hello and remind them that God loves them.

Robert L. Smith, SFC ‘72