Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Friday, 5 December 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Friday, 5 December 2014
Meditation - Psalm 27: A David Psalm
1 Light, space, zest—
    that’s God!
So, with him on my side I’m fearless,
    afraid of no one and nothing.
4 I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with him in his house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
    I’ll study at his feet.
13-14 I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness
    in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
    Take heart. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
    Stay with God.
1st Week of Advent
The Lord is my light and my salvation. (Psalm 27:1) 
Light overcoming darkness is a major Advent theme. Fittingly, Christmas falls shortly after the day with the most hours of darkness. By the time Christmas comes around, the light is gradually increasing.
We all experience darkness in our lives, both within us and around us. The effects of violence and hatred splash across our television screens every day. In our neighborhoods and homes, misunderstanding causes alienation and isolation. Even in our Church, shadowy pockets persist, dimming the light of our witness to Christian purity and joy.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus hears the cry of two blind men, but he delays his response until they are in the best place to receive his healing touch. In the privacy of a house, he gives them the opportunity to proclaim their faith; then he touches and heals them.
It takes time for your eyes to adjust when you move from a darkened room into the bright sunshine. Surely it took these men a few minutes to get used to their new vision and to make sense of what they were seeing. And so Jesus stayed with them and helped them adjust to their new lives. He warned them, too, not to speak too soon about what had happened to them. They needed to see their situation more clearly first.
Advent can be a time of enlightenment for us, too. But our growth in understanding is likely to be as gradual as it was for these men. Perhaps we notice that a word or an image keeps showing up in the Mass readings: renewal, freedom, repentance, restoration. As we ponder that image, it can shed light on who Jesus is and on who he has called us to become.
When such light begins to dawn, turn toward it as much as you can, but don’t be surprised if the results aren’t instantaneous. Jesus has come into your world. That may change everything, but you still have to give his life time to grow and take root in you. How good it is to know, then, that Jesus will stay with you always, teaching you and helping you to adjust to the light!
“Jesus, you light up my world. Open the eyes of my heart as I inch closer to you.” Amen!
Isaiah 29:17-21 And then before you know it,
    and without you having anything to do with it,
Wasted Lebanon will be transformed into lush gardens,
    and Mount Carmel reforested.
At that time the deaf will hear
    word-for-word what’s been written.
After a lifetime in the dark,
    the blind will see.
The castoffs of society will be laughing and dancing in God,
    the down-and-outs shouting praise to The Holy of Israel.
For there’ll be no more gangs on the street.
    Cynical scoffers will be an extinct species.
Those who never missed a chance to hurt or demean
    will never be heard of again:
Gone the people who corrupted the courts,
    gone the people who cheated the poor,
    gone the people who victimized the innocent.
22-24 And finally this, God’s Message for the family of Jacob,
    the same God who redeemed Abraham:
“No longer will Jacob hang his head in shame,
    no longer grow gaunt and pale with waiting.
For he’s going to see his children,
    my personal gift to him—lots of children.
And these children will honor me
    by living holy lives.
In holy worship they’ll honor the Holy One of Jacob
    and stand in holy awe of the God of Israel.
Those who got off-track will get back on-track,
    and complainers and whiners learn gratitude.”
Matthew 9: Become What You Believe
27-28 As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, “Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!” When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, “Do you really believe I can do this?” They said, “Why, yes, Master!”
29-31 He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. “Don’t let a soul know how this happened.” But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met.
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