WEDNESDAY, 6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME GOSPEL COMMENTARY: THE CURING OF THE BLIND MAN AT BETSHAIDA (Mk 8:22-26).
WEDNESDAY, 6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME GOSPEL
Mk 8:22–26
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. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?” Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
- In this Gospel episode, Jesus restores the sight to the blind man in a gradual manner, differentiating it from His other miracles in which healing is instantaneous
- The reason behind this gradual healing is the lack of faith and proper dispositions on the part of the blind man. Jesus wanted the blind man’s faith to grow, and once more trusting he became, the more Jesus restored his sight.
- This shows us that in order for Jesus to perform miracles, faith, proper and right dispositions are necessary. Only then would He grant a person’s request, if it is according to His Will.
- At the same time, a spiritual meaning of this miracle could be gleaned. Faith, guarding of the sight, purity of heart, and detachment from wordly goods enable us to see God in the midst of our ordinary affairs.
- On the contrary, attachment to worldly goods, a materialistic mindset, and a hedonistic way of living lead us to spiritual blindness, with all its grave consequences in our interior life.
- St. Josemaria reminds us of the importance of guarding our sight: The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. — What experiences like David’s! — If you guard your sight you have assured the guard of your heart (The Way, n. 183).
Dear brethren in Christ, may we be vigilant in guarding our faith and our senses, and may we be prudent in the use of the goods of this world so as to see God in the world, maintain the purity of our faith and our heart, and remain in the midst of the world without being worldly. May we also ask Our Lord to restore our spiritual sight if we have strayed away from His path.
A great day ahead, stay safe and God bless. Fr. Rolly Arjonillo
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