New Beginnings

 

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.