Mt 9:27-31 Working In The DarkAs Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
I celebrated my first Mass today (12/2/11) at St. Monica. It was at 6:45 am. I was surprised to see over one hundred people at Mass. Jokingly I asked them, “What is wrong with you people!” I knew perfectly well that most of them were off to work. What a joy it is for me to see so many people at Mass at such an early hour! They get it! They understand it! Before they start their day; before they have to get to work; before they have to deal with their boss or clients or partners they need a little ray of light, a little body of Christ, a little word from Him.
Advent is not just a time to seek the Lord; it can also be a time to clear things that distract us from the Lord.
When I worked at Kodak, we engineers took great pride in ourselves. We considered ourselves the best engineers in the world! After all, we did all our work in the dark! Just kidding!
We all need light. And Christ is the light of the world. He keeps us focused. He keeps us balanced. If I am experiencing loss or feel like I am in a dark tunnel right now, then start looking for the way out! Where is Christ in all of this? Have I searched the Scriptures? Have I spoken to a priest? Have I sought out a good Christian friend? Have I gone to adoration or spoken to the Lord in prayer?
Head towards the Light! Go for the high beams! The Lord does not run over us! He searches for us! Keep going in the direction of the light. If I am looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, the Lord will provide. Start walking towards Christ.
Yes, I can complain, but I will find myself as a reluctant follower. I can try to adjust the exit but I will end up doing twice the amount of work that was necessary. I can even decide to avoid the light or not follow at all, but then nothing will ever change.
The Lord’s ways are mysterious and illuminating! I am good friends with a family that always appreciated my presence in their lives. For reasons that were out of their control, they left my old school (where I was Director) and went to another catholic school. They have always been concerned that their children would not grow up with a priest friend. This all happened at the beginning of the school year. Today, I am back in their lives. You see, they moved to St. Monica!
How mysterious and illuminating is the Lord and His Ways! While we were working in the dark (like a mystery novel), He was leading us to His Light.
We need light. Clouds, like distractions, can block the sun’s rays. Sin, like the night, can turn off the light! Seek and clear. This is today’s message. The blind men are holy today because they sought and things cleared up for them. For us, we need to remove the cataracts from our eyes so as to see much more clearly!
Distractions can make us forgetful of what is truly important in our lives. But they are also a reminder of what we need. We all need a center in our lives. We all need a point of reference. The Lord provides it all. How do I handle a particular situation? How do I say what I need to say? How do I take a leap of faith?
Seek the Lord. Clear all things that lead to Him.
