December 2 - Ed Schultheis '99
Matthew 9:27-31
Today's Advent reflection is on Matthew 9:27-31 from Mr. Ed Schultheis.
In today’s Gospel story, we find Jesus walking along, surrounded by the crowd, when two blind men call out to him, asking for his help. However, there is no reaction outside among the crowd of people. Instead, Jesus enters a house, apart from the prying eyes of the multitude, where he asks them a simple question, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They respond in the affirmative, and Jesus heals them, the miracle itself garnering very little detail compared to the story surrounding it. Why so little focus on the miracle? Because Jesus did not perform the miracle for the crowd; rather, he demonstrated his compassion and mercy privately. This lesson is crucial today. In a world that values likes, shares, and views, we are being taught to demonstrate our goodness, our compassion, our love, and our mercy privately, and not just for the crowds to see.
Secondly, we can observe another common theme in the Gospel stories – those that see cannot perceive, while those that are blind are the ones that see. Unlike the story of Thomas in John’s Gospel, who will not believe in the risen Christ until he can physically see Jesus, here we have these men, who cannot see Jesus, but believe. “'Do you believe that I can do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’” they reply. There is no greater or more straightforward definition of faith. That faith is what saved these two men. Not because they could see Jesus, but because they believed without seeing. While you and I may not physically get to see Jesus, we are still called to believe, to have faith, and to see him in the miracles around us, just like the blind men did when they professed their faith so simply.
This Advent season, during the cold and increasingly dark days, when it is common to feel alone and lost, we ought to remember the lesson of the two blind men. These men were lost and alone for their entire lives, left behind by their society. Yet through their faith, and the personal demonstration of compassionate love from Jesus Christ, their eyes were opened to see the glory of God, and they spread that message of hope through all the land. Let our eyes be opened to the gift of hope that awaits us at Christmas.
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In today’s Gospel story, we find Jesus walking along, surrounded by the crowd, when two blind men call out to him, asking for his help. However, there is no reaction outside among the crowd of people. Instead, Jesus enters a house, apart from the prying eyes of the multitude, where he asks them a simple question, “Do you believe that I can do this?” They respond in the affirmative, and Jesus heals them, the miracle itself garnering very little detail compared to the story surrounding it. Why so little focus on the miracle? Because Jesus did not perform the miracle for the crowd; rather, he demonstrated his compassion and mercy privately. This lesson is crucial today. In a world that values likes, shares, and views, we are being taught to demonstrate our goodness, our compassion, our love, and our mercy privately, and not just for the crowds to see.
Secondly, we can observe another common theme in the Gospel stories – those that see cannot perceive, while those that are blind are the ones that see. Unlike the story of Thomas in John’s Gospel, who will not believe in the risen Christ until he can physically see Jesus, here we have these men, who cannot see Jesus, but believe. “'Do you believe that I can do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’” they reply. There is no greater or more straightforward definition of faith. That faith is what saved these two men. Not because they could see Jesus, but because they believed without seeing. While you and I may not physically get to see Jesus, we are still called to believe, to have faith, and to see him in the miracles around us, just like the blind men did when they professed their faith so simply.
This Advent season, during the cold and increasingly dark days, when it is common to feel alone and lost, we ought to remember the lesson of the two blind men. These men were lost and alone for their entire lives, left behind by their society. Yet through their faith, and the personal demonstration of compassionate love from Jesus Christ, their eyes were opened to see the glory of God, and they spread that message of hope through all the land. Let our eyes be opened to the gift of hope that awaits us at Christmas.
Mount Saint Joseph High School
Mount Saint Joseph is a Catholic, college preparatory school for young men sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers.
