Presence

Lord, I come just as I am into your presence, open and unafraid. Speak, for I am listening.

First Reading

Isaiah 29:17-24 NRSVue

Shall not Lebanon in a very little while become a fruitful field and the fruitful field be regarded as a forest? On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll, and freed from gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off— those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate and undermine justice for the one in the right.

Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“No longer shall Jacob be ashamed; no longer shall his face grow pale.

For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction.”

First Reading Reflection

All of us have something in mind that we really anticipate for Christmas. As children it may have been the arrival of Santa Claus, the uncle who always brought a good present or the ten-pound note from granny. Some of us look forward to the gifts, family gatherings or the outing to the pantomime. The people of God had something to look forward to – the blind would see when Christ came, the deaf would hear, shame would be lifted because God was near and creation would be cared for. The poor and the lowly would rejoice. So let’s look forward and may our hearts be lifted, remembering always, those who have little to look forward to – those who pitch their tent in the street, or who just hope the family gathering will be peaceful.

Gospel

Matthew 9:27-31 NRSVue

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him through all of that district.

Gospel Reflection

The blind men really believed that Jesus could cure them. I wonder sometimes what I believe Jesus can do for me, and the world. There’s no magic wand to banish pandemics, wars and natural disasters forever, nor an easy solution to the environmental crisis, nor the many sufferings of humanity and each of us as individuals. We may pray for years for somebody to be healed of an addiction or disease and wonder where Jesus is. He is truly walking with us, and Advent is a time to be reminded of this. His love doesn’t take away pain, but it helps us bear the difficulties and darkness in our lives. When we believe, like the blind men in today’s reading, we will always know the help and strength of the Lord in our lives. We may not be healed as and when and how we would like to be, but we can know the peace of Christ even in the midst of our afflictions; it was for this that Jesus came.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, I give you all my hopes and wishes for this Christmas season, and lay them at your feet. I ask only for the peace that Christ alone can bring, and that I can be an instrument of His peace to those around me. Amen.