Sixth Wednesday in Ordinary Time(Click here for readings)
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."
How do you see things? The blind man could finally see, but not very clearly.
I know a lot of people like that. They can see physical things, but have a hard time interpreting them well.
Today, I present a few things that we all see, but not necessarily understand.
Small does not mean insignificant. A few days ago I spoke to a group of high school students from Garland, Texas. It wasn't a big group, less than one hundred students, but they do represent many of the Christian denominations across the county.
I mentioned to them something I saw on the Internet: a picture of earth from Mars. Yep. That's right. Pretty cool.
On January 31, 2014 the unmanned rover Curiosity took a picture of earth from Mars. It was a first; the first time a picture had been taken of earth from another planet. Nearly 99 million miles away, the earth appears like a little star. The moon, directly below the earth, is barely noticeable on the high resolution digital image. Yet it is still a beautiful picture, and it is an amazing accomplishment. I consider it the most beautiful picture ever taken of earth. Why? Because our planet appears tiny and insignificant from a distance, and yet, we know how significant it truly is.
I thought a lot about this. It's so easy to think of earth as being insignificant. But it isn't. Life is significant, regardless of how brief or tiny it may appear to be. And as far as we know, it remains the only planet with any form of life on it.
This got me thinking. I asked the student if they knew how many kids attended their high school. "Over three thousand!" they replied. "If that is the case," I said, "then it means you represent less than 3% of your school. Well, don't let your hearts be troubled. Regardless of the math, you are the soul of your school. You may be tiny in numbers, but you are not at all insignificant. Make your presence felt. Be a force for good. Help others to get to know Jesus Christ."
When Heaven Freezes Over. A few weeks ago, I went to see the movie Frozen. I loved it. Probably Disney's most "Christian" movie in decades. Love is presented in its finest and purest form: There is no greater love than to lay down your life for another - even if the "other" is not very nice to you.
Spoiler Alert! Do not read on if you have not seen the movie.
Sacrifice and love go hand-in-hand, just like siblings. They may not always appreciate the other, but they definitely need one another.
This movie isn't your typical fairy-tale. The ending comes as a huge surprise to all. After all, it wasn't "Prince Charming" that came to Elsa's rescue (that's a shocker!), nor was it the handsome helper, Kristoff, (that's a stunner!). Instead, it was the love between two sisters that melted the ice surrounding their lives and kingdom. I have never seen a movie that portrayed sibling love as well as this movie. Have you?
Only pure love can bring someone back to life. Only pure love can resurrect the dead.
The media is constantly bombarding young girls that friends are very, very, VERY important. We should include boyfriends as well. Finally, we have an honest-to-God message of just how important siblings are; that is, how important a family really is.
It's about time they saw things properly.
love, love, love!
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