Many of us are familiar with the Book of Revelation written by St. John, the evangelist. It is a beautiful biblical writing to give hope to the followers of Christ who are losing hope. It conveys to us the experience of early Christians who are excited and hoping for the coming of the Lord. There are many things we encounter, like symbolisms and creatures that are blown out of proportion by those who interpreted wrongly what they really meant. For example, the number seven indicates completeness and spiritual or divine perfection. The seven stars and seven churches in Asia indicate to us that the enduring light of Christ works despite the weaknesses and fallen tendencies of those who follow Christ. Being the Church, we need to return to being part of the Body of Christ by repentance, love and trust in the message of Jesus, who continues to illuminate His very light.
When I read the gospel today from St. Luke 18:35-43, about a blind man calling out to Jesus, I imagine that many of us are blinded by sins and sometimes it’s hard to see, to accept and to understand the truth about God. We need to humble ourselves to call out the name of Jesus. When we cry out through our prayers, Jesus sees us and hears our pleading.
It is a matter of getting on our knees to approach the Lord. Just as Jesus restored the blind man’s sight and mercifully granted the man’s request, our response is to imitate the blind man by his desire to follow Jesus. We need to show our readiness to give Glory to God, by using the gift of healing to announce to others what Jesus had done for the blind man, the blessing of healing his sight and his willing heart to listen and abide by Jesus’ teachings.
Likewise, we too must go and continue to give praise to God.
Let us listen to Jesus’ voice and commit to being bold in spreading the good news of healing. Our own testimony will certainly make others aware of what we have experienced, speaking to others of the miracle of Jesus and all our answered prayers and speaking about the Truth of God. Our words and actions reveal the continuous actions of a loving God.
The story of St. John in the Book of Revelation inspires us to have the greater hope that the blindness of the early Christians and us will now surely allow us to see the light of Christ and save our life in the end.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
