Wednesday - February 16, 2022
I'm always happy, for I always manage in the midst of the tempest to preserve interior peace.
~~St. Therese of Lisieux
TODAY'S READINGS
WEDNESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 337
Jas 1:19-27
Know this, my dear brothers and sisters:
everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
for anger does not accomplish
the righteousness of God.
Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess
and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.
He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets
what he looked like.
But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres,
and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts;
such a one shall be blessed in what he does.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Responsorial Psalm 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R. (1b) Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the Lord.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Alleluia Ephesians 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to his call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 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 the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s 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.”
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SEEING TRUTH IN THE MIRROR
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? When we look into God's Word and use it as a mirror, we see two superimposed views. We see the image of the holy person God created us to be, and we see the contrasting unholy behavior. Let's use today's first reading to sort them out:
* Quick to hear: Do we pay attention to God every moment of every day? What if he tells us something we don't like? What if he speaks through a person we don't like? What if we're busy thinking about someone ELSE who needs to hear this?
* Slow to speak: Do we pause to pray and discern the right moment to open our mouths?
* Slow to anger: Is our anger justified or is it self-defensive and reactionary?
* Put away all filth: Do we assume that our bad habits are not affecting our eternal souls? Do we watch immorality on TV with the excuse that since we're not imitating it, God doesn't mind?
* Put away evil excess: Do we pay for expensive cars and houses and other excesses while ignoring the needs of the poor ?
Look at all the verses this way. Oh, but we prefer to see walking trees (as in today's Gospel reading); we don't want to look too closely because we're afraid we're so spiritually ugly that we cannot be forgiven, or we're afraid we're so good at being sinful that we won't want to change.
Well, guess what! Jesus assures us that we are still loved and treasured. He gives us the desire to change and the tools for making the changes (one at a time, gently). He admires the holy person in the mirror -- instead of just focusing on our sins -- and affirms that this is who we really are.
Why did Jesus take the blind man's hand and lead him outside the village? Jesus usually healed people completely in one try, but this time more time was required. Why? I suspect the man didn't believe he was worth healing. Jesus had to get him away from the people who thought his blindness was a punishment so that he could reassure him of his goodness.
Jesus is doing the same for you. He is tilting his head close to yours and assuring you that you are a beautiful person underneath the ugliness of sin. With his gentle help, the truth will set you free to become who you really are as a holy child of God.
Today's Prayer
Beloved Lord, May all my deeds of mercy be the fruit of an intense, deep, humble, and sincere relationship with You. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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