Word to the Wise
Friday, December 4, 2009 - Friday in the First Week of Advent
[Isaiah 29:17-24 and Matthew 9:27-31]On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.....[Isaiah}
Only those who are truly deaf or blind can appreciate the profundity of the image in Isaiah, but the rest of us (especially those who live or work closely with the deaf and blind) can succeed to some extent in the effort. Given my own love of books, I could only imagine the loss of either of those two senses, and it is a terrifying thought. All the more powerful, then, is the faith expressed by the two blind men in the gospel today. Jesus asks them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" When they answer yes, Jesus tells them that they are healed according to their faith! Advent stands as a witness against those who would argue that God is powerless. They will say that whatever happens, happens, and is either the will of God, or that God is not interested. (I don't have time to deal with the "Bah, humbug!" folks of the atheistic stripe.) For me, the birth of Jesus represents the ultimate interest of God in the human condition. Jesus makes clear in the Gospel of John, [9:3} that blindness (and presumably other devastating disabilities] is not the will of God or punishment for sin, but is the context within which the works of God may be manifested! The heroism and faith of many people I know who are suffering from illness and/or disabilities is a constant reminder that I may be the one who is truly blind or deaf or disabled. Ultimately, Advent and Christmas are a way of restating what Jesus says to the two blind men: Do you believe that I can do this? How do we respond? AMEN
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