Readings September 6, 2009

I struggle with the gospel stories like this week's, when Jesus heals the deaf man. Of course it is a remarkable testimony to Jesus's authenticity that it actually happened, but for a reader who is already convinced of his divinity, it makes a rather bland allegory for salvation. I've never been deaf or blind, never experienced a physical healing, and I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to go through that. That's not to say I haven't experienced healing -- I certainly have been touched by God in the heart, in ways that created real changes in my life. In a way that makes this gospel even less compelling: I don't need an allegory to appreciate Jesus' touch. The story of a physical healing falls short before what I've experienced, has nothing to add to it.

A much more appealing image is found in the first reading. First it predicts Jesus' healings, "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, ... then the tongue of the mute will sing." But it continues, "Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water."

A burst of water, welling up from beneath the desert sands. There is God's work. In addition to the personal healing of the Holy Spirit throughout our lives, we can also interpret this to be foreshadowing Christian baptism, which arrived along with the healing of the blind, lame, and deaf, with the Incarnation of Christ. Those are two wildly generous gifts from the Father, both so well suited to the image of the spontaneous transformation of the desert. Just writing about them moves me to praise God for his generosity, which I do even as I write this. That taste of thankfulness must be something like what the deaf man experienced in today's gospel.

Finally, the first reading begins this way:

Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,...

Isaiah points out that a catalyst for God's intervention is our own witness to one another. God is saying, "look what great good can happen if you just open your lips to encourage the doubter and console the fearful."

I take this as an admonition and also as an encouragement, because I play both roles. Firstly, I am secure in my belief, and able to put together expositions like this one for the encouragement of someone who might read it. For too long I have kept my faith reserved and quiet out of some overdeveloped sense of propriety. Secondly, I am one of the fearful who need encouragement. Heck, I get nervous about making small talk with the nicest of folks. It is reading about the generosity of God's gifts and reflecting on them that strengthens me to become an encourager.

So I think that opening line touches very close to my motivation and purpose in starting this blog. An appropriate second post. Do I have any readers yet?