Behold, our Lord will come with power
and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
ISAIAH 29:17-24
My Soul's Beloved,
This passage is so full of hope for this particular time in our world today. We see how the powerful and the godless are filled with violence, discord, division, and murderous rage against those who follow You, are called by Your Name, and incite the ignorant to hate those who are faithful in holding on to divine truths in the face of persistent and harrowing opposition.
Our Holy Father's recent apostolic visits to Turkey and Lebanon have brought fresh hope to those nations, particularly Lebanon. We apply the promises of Isaiah not just to this nation but to all the nations of the world. We who stand on the promises of God are ready for their fulfillment. Enough of bloodshed, enough of the slaughter of innocents, children of God, who are murdered for their faith and belief in You and who refuse to deny You. For babies slaughtered in wombs in the most dastardly and barbaric ways. Enough of the diabolical evil that has spread its tentacles everywhere in its strangling grip.
We are a people of hope. We have been ransomed and redeemed by the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Savior of the world. We know that our redeemer lives and that the day of our deliverance is at hand. While we wait, Lord, we will sing Your praise and glorify and worship You. Grant us grace to remain steadfast in our faith to the end.
The Lord says this:
In a short time, a very short time,
shall not Lebanon become fertile land
and fertile land turn into forest?
The deaf, that day,
will hear the words of a book
and, after shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the blind will see.
But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more
and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel;
for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish,
and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil:
those who gossip to incriminate others,
those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator
and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons.
Therefore the Lord speaks,
the God of the House of Jacob,
Abraham’s redeemer:
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale,
for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst,
he shall hold my name holy.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob,
stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Erring spirits will learn wisdom
and murmurers accept instruction.
PSALM 26(27):1,4,13-14
The Lord is my light and my help.
In a short time, a very short time,
shall not Lebanon become fertile land
and fertile land turn into forest?
The deaf, that day,
will hear the words of a book
and, after shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the blind will see.
But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more
and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel;
for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish,
and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil:
those who gossip to incriminate others,
those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator
and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons.
Therefore the Lord speaks,
the God of the House of Jacob,
Abraham’s redeemer:
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale,
for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst,
he shall hold my name holy.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob,
stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Erring spirits will learn wisdom
and murmurers accept instruction.
PSALM 26(27):1,4,13-14
The Lord is my light and my help.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
The Lord is my light and my help.
MATTHEW 9:27-31
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
The two blind men in today's Gospel were healed because of their faith in You. They begged You to take pity on them. They did not give up but followed You and kept shouting persistently, 'Take pity on us, Son of David.' You responded,'Do you believe I can do this?' They answered, 'Sir, we do.' You then touched their eyes and said, 'Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.' And immediately their sight was restored.
Lord Jesus Christ, we learn from this healing that we ought not to be embarrassed by what people may think when we cry out to You loudly, expressing our need. Persistence in prayer is what You ask of us. When the answer to our prayers is delayed, we are not to give up but persevere. Perseverance and persistence strengthen our faith in You and teach us dependence on Your time to give us all that we need. You are a God of love, and You will not deny us all that we need to be happy in this life and eternally happy with You in the next.
Like the two blind men, let our joy in being healed overflow bountifully and let us spread the good news of all You have done for us to all we meet, so many more may come to believe and be saved. Thank You, Lord, for every grace and blessing that You have poured so generously on me and those I love.
As Jesus went on his way, two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’ And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Sir, we do.’ Then he touched their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.’ And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one learns about this.’ But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the countryside.
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