Reflection (The readings are below, for your reference)
This section of Isaiah sure is amazing: the deaf hear, the blind see, the meek receive joy, and the neediest people gloat with pride … whew … wow! But the most amazing thing of all (I think) is the last verse: “those who grumble will accept instruction.” I know from first-hand experience how difficult it is to segue from grumbling to acceptance. Grumbling is so addictive, so juicy, so tempting, so delicious. It’s like Lays potato chips: you can’t have just one gripe. You gotta have another and another and another. Imagine if the Gospel story was about grumblers:
As Jesus went on from there, two grumblers followed him, crying loudly, ‘So you think you’re so darn special? Make us happy if you can!’ 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 hearts and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ And their hearts were opened.
Yes Lord, I believe. Let it be done to me.
Namaste! Amen!
The Readings
Isaiah 29:17-24
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 out of their 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 without grounds deny justice to 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.
Psalm 27:1,4,13-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in God’s temple.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
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.
The readings are from the website below, with tiny adjustments to make the text more inclusive.
No comments:
Post a Comment