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| “Healing of the Blind Man” by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: James 1:19-27
Know this, my dear brothers and sisters:
everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
for anger does not accomplish
the righteousness of God.
Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess
and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror.
He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets
what he looked like.
But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres,
and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts;
such a one shall be blessed in what he does.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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Commentary on Jas 1:19-27
St. James continues one of his major themes – putting the Gospel into action. His foundational teaching on the need for faith coupled with action is laid out in these introductory remarks. “Two kinds of hearing are distinguished: in conversation, listening is more important than speaking (Sirach 5:11-12), but in responding to the gospel, obeying is more important than merely listening (Luke 11:28; Romans 2:13). […] 1:23 a mirror: One who merely hears the gospel is like one who merely glances at his reflection and soon forgets what he has seen (1:24) One who hears and obeys the gospel is like one who gazes into the law of Christ and sees there the path to blessing and life that he desires to follow (1:25).”[4]
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Responsorial Psalm: Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
R. (1b) Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?
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Commentary on Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5
Psalm 15 is a didactic song instructing the faithful to follow God’s precepts and explaining that those who act in accord with the Law will receive God’s support and grace.
This selection records the response of the temple representative when asked what virtues are appropriate in the eyes of God. The response lauds the person who follows the “Law,” specifically the Hebrew laws that warn against slander or false accusations. In the second strophe it honors the person who does no violence against another. And finally, in the last strophe, we are told that the person who does not charge interest on a loan (usury) is also uplifted.
CCC: Ps 15:3-7 579
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Gospel: Mark 8:22-26
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
"Do you see anything?"
Looking up the man replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking."
Then he laid hands on the man's eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village."
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Commentary on Mk 8:22-26
“Jesus' actions and the gradual cure of the blind man probably have the same purpose as in the case of the deaf man (Mark 7:31-37). Some commentators regard the cure as an intended symbol of the gradual enlightenment of the disciples concerning Jesus' messiahship.”[5]
In this case, as in the case of the healing of the deaf mute, the Ephphatha, Jesus leads the blind man away from the others, he takes him by the hand, establishing a personal connection with the man. Again he uses fluid from his own body to effect the cure, but in two stages. Allegorically, early Church fathers (St. Bede In Marcum; St. Jerome, Homily 79) have suggested this represents not only curing a physical ailment, but also curing spiritual blindness. [6]
CCC: Mk 8:22-25 1151, 1504; Mk 8:23 699
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Reflection:
We hear the Lord curing the blind in St. Mark’s Gospel and we see in the story our own hopes, that we too might become fully sighted – able to see clearly the path the Lord sets before us. St. James has a great handle on the problem we have in dealing with in the Gospel. He sees in his contemporaries how easy it is to hear the Gospel but to go on as if it had been mere words; a poem whose words cause us joy at their hearing but whose meaning is soon forgotten.
The wisdom of the Lord is intended to be a directive, a map, as it were, to the peace he offers us. If our eyes were completely opened, we would be able to see the love of Christ in our brothers and sisters, in spite of the way they sometimes act. We would gaze at the world around us and constantly marvel at the gifts God created for us. Seeing the love of God in these ways, our actions would be informed by Christ’s teaching. Enlightened in this way we would avoid the pitfalls of life, the “occasion of sin,” and find peace.
We hear St. James today and realize that we need to gaze deeply into the mirror of our souls and see there the blindness that lurks. We must rededicate ourselves to seeking the cure for that blindness in sacramental reunification with the Lord. Above all we are called to act on what we know and have learned. The Gospel for us must not be simply words on a page or maxims bandied about. We are called to be people of the light and of the day, as St. Paul says. It is only by listening to the Word of God and acting on those words that we find the promise offered by our Savior and Lord.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Healing of the Blind Man” by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p.440.
[5] NAB footnote on Mark 8:22-26.
[6] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 79-80.
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