Matthew 9: 27-31
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 believe that I am able to 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 throughout that district.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Open My Eyes
Recently my oldest son sat down with me to watch college football. As we watched our conversation progressed from the rules of the game to what going to college itself might be like.
There was a time I feared I would never have a conversation with him like this one. It was a long road for us to not only discover his hearing loss and learning differences but to also find a school that would ultimately bring to life the incredible person God created him to be. This journey did not lead him to be cured but instead to be reborn in the knowledge that he was beautifully and wonderfully made.
In the past, I used to focus on the physical healing of sight in this particular Gospel as the primary miracle to contemplate, but now my own experience has shown me the non-physical ways sight can be restored. While raising my son, God has gradually opened my eyes to see that blessings come in all shapes and sizes. There was a time I lacked the understanding that not everything the world sees as “imperfect” in us needs fixing. Instead differences in physicality and learning bring depth and beauty to our world. When I begged for a miracle for my son proclaiming I had the faith that God could do it, God responded by opening my eyes instead to the beauty in him, in me, and in others as well.
How might your own eyes need to be opened this Advent season?
—Gretchen Crowder is Campus Minister at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.
Prayer
Lord,
It is easy for my eyes
to see only the challenges,
the uncertainties,
and the impossibilities
this world has to offer.
Fix my sight, Lord,
so I may see instead
the certainty of Your presence
and every possibility
faith in You brings.
It is easy for my eyes
to be fixed on established views,
narrow understandings,
and perfectionistic ideals
when encountering others.
Fix my sight, Lord,
so that I see with Your eyes
the beauty and dignity
inherent in every person
You breathed into being.
Open my eyes, Lord,
so I may take in
the miracles
big and small
happening all around me.
Then, open my lips, Lord
so I may become
a joyful and constant witness
to the wonders of You.
Amen
—Gretchen Crowder
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