The
one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the
seven gold lampstands says this: “I know your works, your labor, and your
endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who
call themselves Apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. Moreover,
you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize
how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise,
I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you
repent.”
Revelation 2:2-5
“Son
of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought
to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for
you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your
faith has saved you.”
Luke 18:39C-42
Piety
Blessed the man who follows not the counsel
of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2
Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2
Study
In this penultimate (second to last) week of the
Liturgical year, we start off our readings with a few passages from the last
book in the Bible, the Revelation to John. Recall the context of this book:
The book is an
exhortation and admonition to Christians of the first century to stand firm in
the faith and to avoid compromise with paganism, despite the threat of
adversity and martyrdom; they are to await patiently the fulfillment of God’s
mighty promises. The triumph of God in the world of men and women remains a
mystery, to be accepted in faith and longed for in hope. It is a triumph that
unfolded in the history of Jesus of Nazareth and continues to unfold in the
history of the individual Christian who follows the way of the cross, even, if
necessary, to a martyr’s death.[i]
The specific letter to Ephesus that is a part
of today’s reading praises the members of the church there for their works and
virtues, including discerning false teachers.
However, it then reprimands them to repent and return to their former practices.
How ironic that the one person in the Gospel
of Luke who “sees” and recognizes the Messianic role of Jesus is the blind man. However, those who are closest to Jesus
admonish him to be quiet. The reading in
Revelation admonishes the Apostles to repent and return to the works they had
been doing previously. In the Gospel, the
person who has been tested the most (the blind man) and exemplifies the strongest
faith is almost thwarted in his faith by the Apostles.
The blind beggar identifies Jesus with a
title that is related to the Lord’s role as Messiah. Back in the opening of Luke’s Gospel, there
are some clues to why this phrase is so important. The basic message of the Nativity
story is contained in the angel’s announcement: this Christ-child is the savior, Messiah, and Lord. Through this “Son of David” salvation (sight)
comes to the blind man.
Even further back in Luke’s Gospel, we hear
the connection between salvation and house of David mentioned in the Canticle
of Zechariah’s. “[The Lord God] has
raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant.” (Luke 1:69). That Messiah is the same
one who restored the voice to Zechariah so his son could become the voice
crying out in the wilderness. Now, the
Messiah restores vision to the blind beggar.
The notes from the New American Bible’s
introduction of the Book of Revelation explain that “In the face of apparently
insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all Christians are called
to trust in Jesus’ promise, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the
age” (Matthew 28:20). Those who remain steadfast in their faith and confidence
in the risen Lord need have no fear. Suffering, persecution, even death by
martyrdom, though remaining impenetrable mysteries of evil, do not comprise an
absurd dead end. No matter what adversity or sacrifice Christians may endure,
they will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their
fidelity to Christ the victor. This is the enduring message of the book; it is
a message of hope and consolation and challenge for all who dare to believe.”
Action
Today, we, too, are called to believe in
Jesus’ promise no matter what illness,
Words from Dorothy Day might come in handy at
this time:
"One of the
greatest evils of the day among those outside the proximity of the suffering
poor is their sense of futility. Young people say, 'What good can one person
do? What is the sense of our small effort?' They cannot see that we must lay
one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for
the action of the present moment but we can beg for an increase of love in our
hearts that will vitalize and transform all our individual actions, and know
that God will take them and multiply them, as Jesus multiplied the loaves and
fishes.
The greatest
challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a
revolution which has to start with each one of us? When we begin to take the
lowest place, to wash the feet of others, to love our brothers with that
burning love, that passion, which led to the cross, then we can truly say, ‘Now
I have begun.'"
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