Daily Office Readings for Monday of the 5th Week in Lent: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 31; Evening, Psalm 35;
Jeremiah 24:1 to 10; Romans 9:19 to 33; John 9:1 to 17
“Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” (John 9:3)
This man born blind is like people who have never really known our Lord Jesus. And like the man who was born blind, obeyed Jesus after the application of mud and washed as he was told, received his sight for the first time, he is like so many who are brought to real sight today.
While many, even today, are kept in darkness and without a clear vision of the righteous moral path, it is not necessarily the fault of a misguided society or un-churched parents, or even bad preaching. It is the individual lack of personal pondering about life and one’s place in the world. Again, let us hear the words of Blaise Pascal, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” I call this silent sitting, pondering. It is my Jesus time.
Jesus and his group came upon this man born blind who has no idea about color, or light, or the faces of people, or even the vast spectrum of the beauty of nature. His whole world has changed when given sight. So too our world changes when we are brought to loving light for the first time. But like the man born blind in our reading for today, we too must do as our Lord Jesus asks; we must wash in the waters of Baptism and do all other such commandments as Jesus asks of us.
We are co-creators with our Lord. And what, or rather who, is being created, is ourselves. And no matter where we are, we are still a work in progress. “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:32 and 33). We must always be willing to listen, learn, love and live-out our covenant with our Lord Jesus. It starts here in this life, and continues throughout all eternity. Thank You Lord Jesus.
Today we remember Tikhon, Patriarch of Russia and Confessor (April 7, 1925) and his information may be found at: Tikhon of Moscow
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray:
O Lord God, open our eyes to see Your hand at work all around us. Reveal to us Your Presence in our daily lives and aid us in informing others about Your marvelous works done in love for our benefit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
onewhoponders 