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.
[Mark 8:22–23]
Bethsaida
was one of the towns just north of the Sea of Galilee in which Jesus
preached. Later in His public ministry,
Jesus condemns the town of Bethsaida for its failure to convert. “Woe to
you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes”
[Matthew 11:21].
It may be
because of their lack of faith and immoral living that Jesus led the blind man
outside of the city before He cured Him.
And it appears that the people who brought the blind man to Jesus
brought him not because of their deep faith, but because of curiosity. This might also be the reason that, once
Jesus cured the man, He sent him to his home saying, “Do not even go into
the village.” Thus, Jesus knew that
this miracle would not lead to faith in the hearts of those living in
Bethsaida. So, Jesus instructed the man
not to return there. [Mark 8:26]
God has
almighty power and can clearly do whatever He chooses, whenever He
chooses. And what He often chooses to do
is to exercise His almighty power only in the presence of those who already
believe, or at least in the presence of those who have not yet rejected
Him. When Jesus encounters people who
have heard Him preach but have failed to come to faith, He refuses to perform
any miracles in their presence.
What this
tells us is that faith must come first; then, God’s Almighty power flows
freely. Of course, the grace of the Word
of God is always given to everyone. The
seed of God’s holy Word is always available to all. But it’s important to distinguish between the
sending forth of His holy Word of the Gospel and the sending forth of His
transforming almighty power. The only
way to receive the latter is to first accept the former. Unless we hear, accept and believe in His
Word, we will not receive the grace of His transforming power.
With that
said, it must also be understood that God’s “almighty power” can’t be reduced
to miracles alone. We all know that
physical miracles are not nearly as prevalent today as they were at the time
Jesus walked the earth. But His almighty
power is still at work today; and in a way that’s even greater than when Jesus
walked the earth. Today, His power is
one that transforms us interiorly by the fullness of grace and the bestowal of
the Holy Spirit. That is the true miracle
that we must always seek and anticipate when we have heard the Word of God and
responded with authentic faith.
“Go in
peace, lo love and to serve the Lord.”
“And to
amend my life. Amen.”
We know
these words as Catholics. Many times,
said so completely heartfelt in the moments after receiving the Body of Christ
the final words from the priest, and His Absolution in Confession.
But what
happens in how we meet the world again when we walk out the door? Or when we leave the door of confession after
laying down the sorrow we carry?
Struggling to follow the ways we so hoped as we move back into the
world.
How many
times have I left confession truly feeling the grace of what was shared. Yet the hardest part can be to carry it
forward. I had never seen this until
today. We are asked over and over by so
many around us to be a part of the world that in some ways no longer makes
sense.
Once we let
you in Dear Lord. Once we welcome You
fully. Once we say “yes”! How then can
we remain quiet, patient, trusting and still?
Eyes opened to all You have gifted.
For some,
this may take a lifetime of returning.
For others a single day. But
sometimes the gifts are heard when they are not easily seen. Jesus is already fully open to the wideness
of God’s Love. But we, like the
disciples, need to find the courage to see.
“Then He
sent one who was healed to his home. Saying, “do not even go into the village.” This passage I believe had Jesus preparing His chosen
apostles to prepare for all to come.
I imagine
Him now saying to me, “I am giving you the Gift above all gifts. My Love and tender Mercy for each human being
on earth.”
How can we
learn to fully gift from our hearts knowing I have Jesus Christ truly within me?
After
Communion.
After
Confession.
New ways
rising always, new beginnings.
All-powerful
Lord, You choose to send forth Your almighty power upon those who have come to
faith in You by receiving the Gospel You have sent forth. Please open my ears
to hear so that I will choose to convert and believe and, thus, be disposed to
be transformed by Your abundant grace. Jesus, I trust in You.
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