Have you ever felt silenced or shushed by other people in your life? When I was a little girl, I once was hushed by someone who told me, "Be a quiet, good girl. Nobody likes a loud girl." My little Patty-heart interpreted that to mean something must wrong with me the way I was, that somehow my vivacious little self was too much. I felt shushed and dismissed.
In today's Gospel (Luke 18:35-43), we encounter a blind man who was hushed when crying out for Jesus. If this man had not been so persistent, Jesus might not have heard him and would have passed by his life. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks the man. It is a question that He continues to ask each of us over the course of our lives. My dear one, what do you need? What do you want Me to do for you?
The man's response to Jesus perhaps seems like an obvious response from a person who was blind. Yet, in a deeper sense, this blind man is really each one of us. We need to see Jesus and our neighbors more clearly. Our poor spiritual sight prevents us from knowing Jesus and seeing where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do.
Immediately, Jesus restores the man's sight. Now that he could see, what was his response? He became a follower of Jesus, giving glory and praise to God. No longer hopeless, no longer a blind beggar, no longer by the road but on the road with Jesus. Being on the road with Jesus is what He calls us to as His disciples.
How do I answer Jesus' question for the blind man? Has my answer changed over the years? Today let's reflect on what we really want from Jesus, what what we really need from Him. Be bold in your asking and bold in your faith, just like the blind man. Do not allow anyone or anything to shush that boldness in you.
Be bold in your asking and bold in your faith. // @amoderngraceClick to tweet
LOVING GOD, LOVING OTHERS
A NEW WORKSHOP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
