Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, February 15, 2017.
1st Reading:Book of Genesis 8:6-13.20-22.
At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth. Then he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. But the dove could find no place to alight and perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water all over the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark. He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark. In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth. He waited still another seven days and then released the dove once more; and this time it did not come back. In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water began to dry up on the earth. Noah then removed the covering of the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was drying up. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered holocausts on the altar. When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Ps:116(115):12-13.14-15.18-19
R/. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
Holy Gospel: Mark 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 him and asked, “Do you see anything?” Looking up he replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on his 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.” The gospel of the Lord.
WEDNESDAY REFLECTIONS:
Consistently, throughout the Gospels, when Jesus cures someone it is done as a result of the faith they have and manifest. It’s not that Jesus couldn’t heal someone without faith; rather, it’s that this is what He chose to do. He made healing contingent upon complete faith. In this miracle story, it appears that the blind man has some faith, but not much. As a result, Jesus does something very telling. He allows the man to be healed only part way so as to illustrate his lack of faith. But He also reveals to us that a little faith can lead to more faith. The man, once he could see a little, clearly began to believe some more. And once his faith grew, Jesus laid hands on him again, bringing his healing to completion. What a great illustration for us! Some people may have complete faith in God in all things.
If that is us, then we are truly blessed. But this passage is especially for those who have faith, but struggle nonetheless. To those who fall into this category, Jesus is offering much hope. The action of healing the man twice in a row tells us that Jesus is patient and merciful and will take the little we have, and the little we offer, and use it the best He can. He will work to transform our little faith so that we can then take another step closer to God and grow in faith. The same could be said of sin. Sometimes we have imperfect sorrow for sin and sometimes we sin and have no sorrow for it, even though we know it’s wrong. If that is us, then try to take at least one small step forward toward the healing of forgiveness. Try, at very least, to desire that we will grow in a desire to be sorry. That may be the bare minimum, but Jesus will work with it.
Pray with me: Lord, I thank You for the incredible patience You have with me. I know my faith in You is weak and must increase. I know my sorrow for my sins must also increase. Please do take the little faith I have and the little sorrow I have for my sins and use them to draw me one step closer to You and Your merciful heart. Jesus, I trust in You that You alone will heal our sick brethren and set them free. May the souls of our faithful departed brethren rest in perfect peace, amen.
Sourced by Wiezman Eleanya