A Homily for Friday of the First Week of Advent
Friday, December 6, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Isaiah 29:17-24; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 9:27-31
Audio Recording
Let’s take a moment to consider the context of the miracle Jesus works today in the gospel, restoring the sight of two blind men. He had just arrived at Peter’s home after a day of traveling. It had been a busy day for him, as just before this he had raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and healed the woman with a hemorrhage when she touched his cloak as he was walking to Jairus’s house. And this wouldn’t be the last miracle he performed this day, as we learn in the verses that follow these, when he was leaving Peter’s house he healed the mute demoniac by driving out the demon that possessed him.
So considering all of these miracles he performed in public, doesn’t it seem strange that he would warn the two blind men whose sight he just restored that they must not tell anyone about this? I mean, it was no secret that Jesus was a bonafide miracle worker. Did he really think they could keep this a secret?
I don’t think the blind men were intentionally disobedient when they “spread word of him through all that land.” They simply couldn’t contain their profound excitement and gratefulness for what Jesus had done for them.
Scholars tell us that the reason Jesus did not want people broadcasting the news of their healing is because he wanted to maintain what is called the “Messianic Secret.” At that time the coming Messiah was not understood to be one who was divine. It was common knowledge that the Messiah would be a military ruler. But they had the wrong idea about what the Messiah’s mission truly was.
If everybody was running around believing Jesus was the Messiah, they would have wanted to make him King and may have expedited his death. Jesus seems to want to give himself time to instruct and prepare his disciples for his death and for their important role of spreading the Good News after he ascends to Heaven.
The point is that there was a need for “openness” about how God works that was required in order to accept Jesus as the savior … the same openness they had to have then, we must have today.
We too can fall into the trap of misunderstanding who Jesus is and who He wants to be in our lives. We often want a “god” who will save us only from our daily struggles, injustices and temporal difficulties. We can want a “god” who acts in accord with OUR WILL and not vice versa. We want a “god” who will heal us and free us of every earthly burden.
But Jesus taught clearly throughout His life that He would suffer and die. He teaches us that we must take up our own crosses and follow Him. And He teaches us that we must die to ourselves, serve others, embrace suffering, offer mercy, and turn the other cheek. These are things that the world just doesn’t understand.
Reflect, today, upon whether Jesus would caution you about speaking too loudly about YOUR vision of who He is. Maybe you’ve been tempted to commiserate with someone who no longer practices their faith because Jesus didn’t live up to their expectations.
Maybe they prayed for something for years, but their prayer wasn’t answered. Perhaps what they were praying for was something that would have hurt them, or something that for whatever reason was outside of God’s will for them. So they gave up. They stopped going to church and began to believe that this whole “God-thing” was a sham. They may have bought into the lie that God can’t possibly be a good God when there is so much suffering in the world. For them, perhaps, Jesus was not the Messiah they expected.
Maybe they had the wrong idea of who he was because of the testimony of other Christians?
Let’s honestly ask ourselves today if we struggle with expectations for a “god” who is not actually God? Have we come to know the very person of Christ our Lord to such an extent that we’re able to give authentic witness to Him? Do we boast only in the cross? Do we proclaim the true nature of Christ though our words and our actions? By how we accept misfortune and suffering, and by what we do to give our lives in service of others?
Let’s recommit ourselves this Advent to a proclamation of the true Christ, setting aside any and all confused images of our Lord. In this way we won’t lead others astray and we’ll be doing our part to bring about the true Kingdom of God through our lives.
God bless you.