Today’s reflection on Matthew 9:27-31 comes from Rebecca Lockhart.
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
I’m a cradle Catholic. Throughout my teens I did all the Catholic things I was supposed to do, but when I went to college, I got a little lost. My faith was still there, but it wasn’t my priority. During that time, I got married and moved away from family. Eventually, however, we moved back home and stayed with my in-laws for an entire month. I remember being annoyed at times about being with my in-laws so much.
However, merely six months later, my father-in-law passed away. This was my first encounter with such a loss, and I vividly remember when we got the call it felt like someone had kicked me in the chest.
As we drove to my in-laws, I grabbed a rosary that I had gotten for free at a Catholic Women’s group I had just started attending. Honestly, praying felt strange. My faith was still there, but it felt kind of like riding a bike that I hadn’t ridden since I was a kid. I felt wobbly. But I prayed. I prayed prayers that I thought were long gone from my brain.
Spoiler alert, God’s merciful love for you is endless whether your eyes are opened or not.
– Rebecca Lockhart
It was a heavy few months, and admittedly, there were some unanswered prayers, but there were so many more answered prayers — some that I didn’t even know I was praying for. From the endless strength of my sweet mother-in-law, to the devotion to the Lord from the women I began to surround myself with in my church, I saw the good that can come from a foundation of faith. The graces were still there, and in a hard time, I was able to say yes to the Lord. Digging into the faith in our hearts is especially important when the answers aren’t clear or when life isn’t unfolding as you are expecting.
Maybe your eyes aren’t being opened in one fell swoop. Like me, maybe it takes time for your eyes to be opened, too. But, spoiler alert, God’s merciful love for you is endless whether your eyes are opened or not.
Rebecca Lockhart