A divine moment of grace

I can think of so many times in my own life when I’ve wandered about, metaphorically blind.  I couldn’t—or didn’t—want to see what was right in front of me.  I wanted to fix a problem myself, ignore an important issue, or blame others for causing a situation that was affecting me.  I was truly without sight.

I am reminded of this after reading the beautiful passage in the Gospel of Luke today about a man without sight who cried out in the darkness to Jesus for healing.  His call was heard, and he was healed (Luke 18:35-43).

He had only to ask Jesus for healing and it was given.  In one sense, sometimes the exact thing we ask God for doesn’t seem to appear as obviously as the blind man’s sight was restored.  And yet if we only surrender to God and to His loving goodness then healing is possible – the healing that only God knows is ours to receive.

But the humble cry for mercy is really a divine moment of grace in which we acknowledge that we can’t restore sight, or insight, to ourselves; we can’t right the wrong, modify the course of events, change other people on our own.  In our own human woundedness, we just need pity from our loving God.

It’s often in the most difficult and cluttered situations that we can sense the presence of God.  We have to stand our ground and cry out, “Son of David” have pity on me” when we’re told to be quiet, God has more important things to worry about; that there are others who are more deserving of the “pity and compassion” of God.  The gospel assures us our cries and needs are heard by a listening God.  We just have to have courage, faith, and persistence.

It’s striking that what the man with blindness asked for was not eyesight.  He asked for mercy.  He asked for compassion and then asked to be healed.  Perhaps we can be humble enough to cry out, "Lord, help me."  Then, like the one leper in ten that Jesus healed earlier in the Gospel (Luke 17:11-19), we mustn’t forget to return to our Lord in thanksgiving.