PHOTO: Mary van Balen
I know the plans I have in mind for you it is the Lord who speaks plans for peace, not disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you. When you seek me you shall find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (from Mid-morning reading, Terce – Jeremiah 29:11,13)
Today’s readings continue to bathe us in hope, or more accurately, reason to hope. The first reading from the Mass is Isaiah 29:17-24. Verse after verse declares freedom from oppression “for the tyrant shall be no more…” In these lines the blind see, the deaf hear, and “the meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord.”
When most news we read today is filled with accounts of war, suffering, and injustice, Isaiah’s words bring relief. I read them over and over, silently and out loud, and they were like cool water sliding down a parched throat. They allowed me to hope and to believe that hope for the poor and hurting in our world was possible. Not only possible, but sure. Not an empty promise but a reality whose time would come.
The gospel reading, Matthew 9:27-31, tells of Jesus restoring the sight of two blind men. Before he touched their eyes, he asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They answered, “Yes.”
As I read the rest of the story, joy welled up in my heart. Along with the blind men, I found faith to believe. If Jesus had jumped off the pages and asked me the same question, I would have given the same answer. I felt energy and expectation.
Of course, Jesus WAS asking me: In my life, do I believe that he can heal my woundedness? Can he heal the agonizing hurt and suffering of the world’s people? Can he rid the earth of tyrants and those who do injustice? Can I dare to hope?
I feel almost giddy with hope. Why, I am not sure. My faith is not always so strong. I cannot say why, but only give thanks that at this moment, it is so.
When one is graced with hope and faith, one must share more deeply in the work of bringing relief and hope to others. I don’t know how to do that either. All I know is that those who have been given faith and hope must be with those who struggle to find it. Preaching, teaching, evangelizing, those things come later, after the “being with.”
Those of us who are able to hope must grasp the hands of those who cannot, and hold tight. We must listen, hold tears, feed, and share what we have. We are called to do other works in the world that will help bring change. First, I belive, after being moved by the readings of the past days, we must be a presence of hope in a world filled with despair.
© 2010 Mary van Balen
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