First Reading: Isaiah 29: 17-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
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.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
Hi there. Would you do me a favor?
Would you take a moment to silence your mind and heart, and think about the one thing you need most from the Lord today?
What is it that is weighing on your spirit? How can He lessen your burden today? Where do you need Him to show up today?
Because, He'd like to know. I know, I know, most of us feel like we're constantly asking Jesus for things and that we need to be way more grateful for what we already have.
Which is true.
BUT. The Good Lord also wants us to ask Him for what we need, and, like the two blind men, we shouldn't be hesitant or ashamed to make our needs known.
You see, when we come to the feet of Jesus with sincere hearts and present our petitions to Him, we are expressing our faith in Him as God. The blind men were given what they asked for on the condition that they had the faith that Jesus can do anything. They knew that Jesus could actually do the impossible that they were asking of Him.
How happy that must make His Heart, then, when we come to Him humbly, proclaim our trust in "the Son of David", and say, "Yes, Lord, I believe You can do this."
Now, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of people with the best intentions and the biggest faith who don't always get want they ask for. I'm not trying to sell some golden ticket. God ultimately knows what's best for us and sometimes we ask for things that aren't in our best interest.
What I think the biggest lesson from today's Gospel is that Jesus truly gives a care about us. Every little bit of us. Every hair on our head and every tiny worry in our hearts. He wants to show up for us. He wants to move for us. He wants to show Himself as the Messiah of our life.
He wants to show up for us. He wants to move for us.Click to tweet
So what do you need most from Him today, sister? Don't be afraid to ask, because He cares for you. He wants to know. He's always right there to listen. And Jesus can do anything.
Olivia Spears is a middle school religion teacher turned SAHM who is married to her high school best friend. You can find out more about her here.
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