Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 7: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 102; Evening, Psalm 107:1-32;
Numbers 20:1 to 13; Romans 5:12 to 21; Matthew 20:29 to 34:
“They said to him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him;” (Matthew 20: 33 and 34).
In this Matthew Gospel account two blind men “regain’ their sight. Which means they once saw clearly but later lost their vision. Somehow they lost sight of what was going on, and where they were going; and now they wanted Jesus to put them back where they could see again.
The sight that our Lord Jesus restores is not so much our visual sight as it seems on the surface. It is the seeing of our heart that really guides us on the good path. Our Lord Jesus looked through the eyes of his own Godly heart and he was “moved with compassion” and restored their sight.
Are we willing to ask for, and receive, this restored understanding? These blind men refused to be hushed by the surrounding crowd but instead demanded to be helped by God Incarnate. If we have lost our moral vision, and our hope, some will try to keep us this way often for their own self serving purposes. We must dare to break out and seek the presence of Jesus in order to be put back on track. He is already moved with compassion for us, we just need to insist on seeing him in order that we might see the Way, the Truth and the Life.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom.
What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Palestine and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Today our Church remembers Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons: Irenaeus of Lyons (satucket.com)
Let us pray:
Most merciful Jesus, as you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, enable us we pray, to see again the path of life which leads to all truth and goodness. Light our way to walk honorably and lovingly with our neighbors and see Yourself in those we encounter. In Your most holy Name we pray; Amen.
onewhoponders 