One Whom Jesus Touches

“And as Jesus passed from thence, there followed him two blind men crying out and saying, Have mercy on us, O Son of David.  And when he was come to the house, the blind men came to him. And Jesus saith to them, Do you believe, that I can do this unto you? They say to him, Yea, Lord.  Then he touched their eyes, saying: According to your faith, be it done unto you.  And their eyes were opened…”  

~Matt. 9:27~30

Throughout the Gospels we read of the countless times Jesus heals someone through His touch. In today's Gospel from St. Matthew, we read of the two blind men who were healed of their blindness through Jesus' touch.

In every healing that we read about in Sacred Scripture, we see that Jesus requires the faith of the one being healed. In today's passage, He actually asks the blind men: "Do you believe that I can do this?" When they profess their faith, the healing takes place.

It is the same for us. Jesus may not be walking this earth as a man, but He is still with us. His power, through the Eucharist, through Sacred Scripture, and sometimes even through others, still has the power to touch us and heal us.

We may not suffer from physical blindness, but most of us suffer from some degree of spiritual blindness. St. Ambrose, whose feast we celebrate today, says: "...for he whom Jesus touches sees more." 

Whenever we ask Jesus to heal us of our blindness, or of anything for that matter, He asks us the same question He asked the two blind men: "Do you believe I can do this?" Jesus can do anything He wants however He wants, but He asks of our faith; He wants our participation in His healing of our wounds~spiritual or physical.

Jesus' response to the blind men's affirmation of their faith, and to ours is: "Let it be done according to your faith. The stronger our faith, the more complete the healing.

During this Advent and all through our lives, may we believe more fervently in Jesus' healing power. May we allow Him to touch our souls so that we may see more.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

I believe in Your power and in Your desire to heal me of my spiritual blindness. Increase my faith so that the scales will fall completely from the eyes of my soul so that I may see more of You and Your will for me, that I may see more of Your beauty in creation, in others and in myself.

Amen.

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