Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier
The eyes, as the old saying goes, are the windows to the soul. But if they truly are windows, they also enable us to look outwards, to see the light. This powerful symbolism is a recurring theme in Scripture; from the psalmist who asks God to open his eyes to see clearly, to Christ Himself, who teaches in the Gospel of Matthew that the eye is the lamp of the body. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives sight to two blind men who follow him, begging to be healed. This is one of three times in the gospels that Christ heals the blind, and unlike mere symbolism of blindness and sight, Christ’s miracles are literal, physical acts, fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah, who declares in today’s first reading that “the eyes of the blind shall see.” Yet even as He demonstrates the power of God, Jesus makes clear that it is the blind men’s own faith that has cured them! When we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the troubles of the day, we limit our faith, our hope, and our love for Jesus Christ. If we choose to see only with the eyes of the flesh, we blind ourselves, and in turn, we cannot share Christ’s saving light, nor see Him in those that we serve. So what will we choose: to huddle in darkness behind a curtain of worldly cares, or to let in the Light through the windows to our souls? Let it be done to us according to our faith! Timothy P. Williams is National Formation Director for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. |
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