Friday of the First Week of Advent

“Christ the Redeemer”
by Tiziano Vecellio, 1533-34

 
Readings for Friday of the First Week in Advent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 29:17-24
 
Thus says the Lord God:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the Lord,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction.
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Commentary on Is 29:17-24
 
This selection from Isaiah is probably a proverb of redemption. We hear the language of messianic hope, as the oracle foresees a time when unjust rulers will be cast down and those who perjure themselves making false accusations (“those whose mere word condemns a man”), will be discredited. God, who redeemed Abraham (by converting him from idol worship) will save all of the faithful through the Messiah.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
 
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
 
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
 
One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
 
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
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Commentary on Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
 
Psalm 27 is an individual lament. Here, the singer expresses faith in God, who is the refuge of the faithful, longing to find ultimate safety and the bounty of God’s heavenly kingdom. This passage from the psalm captures the two major themes: hope in God’s mercy, and complete trust in his goodness. In these strophes, David longs for the Lord’s protection and the gift of life which flows from God's salvation.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31
 
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.
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Commentary on Mt 9:27-31
 
This story appears to happen on the same day as the previous two healing miracles. Following his meal in the house of the tax collectors, the Lord first heals the woman with a hemorrhage (v. 20) and then raises the daughter of Jairus (v. 23).  His fame has spread, and the light of God’s revelation now comes to the blind (as Zechariah promised his infant son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:76-79).

The two blind men address Jesus with his messianic title “Son of David,” in this selection from St. Matthew’s Gospel. The Lord proceeds to respond to that title, fulfilling a major part of the predictive prophecies about the Messiah by causing the blind to see. This event is seen as fulfilling the oracle of Isaiah proclaimed in  Isaiah 29:18 (“And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see”). It also announces that the promise made to David (2 Samuel 12-17) is fulfilled “your throne shall be firmly established forever.” The Messiah has arrived.
 
CCC: Mt 9:27 439, 2616
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Reflection:
 
The first candle, the Candle of Hope, on our Advent wreath still burns! We are filled with hope because of our faith. We know Christ will open our eyes that we might see God’s glory. It shines like a beacon as the nativity of Christ draws near. It is our everlasting hope that we will meet him when he comes again with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.
 
There is a very strong connection between the prophecy of Isaiah concerning redemption that flows from the Messiah, and Saint Matthew’s Gospel, seeing that prophecy fulfilled. The thread leads us to recall part of the celebration that started each of us on the path of faith. In our baptismal ceremony there is a prayer called the Ephphatha. Ephphatha is from the Aramaic and it means, “be open” or “open.” In Sacred Scripture it is the word spoken by Christ when he cured the deaf-mute along the Sea of Galilee (see Mark 7:31-37).
 
The Ephphatha prayer is used as the celebrant touches the ears and mouth of the person during the baptismal rite:
 
“The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father. Amen”
 
This little rite does not deal with the blind regaining their sight, but it is another part of the messianic prophecy. It deals with a person’s ability to perceive the world and understand what is taking place. The healing works performed by Jesus become a metaphor for our entire faith journey. How can we see the wonders of the Lord if our eyes are blind to the works of his hand? How can we hear the choirs of angels singing loud hosannas if our ears are closed to the Word of God? Even if we see and hear the wonders of God’s power and glory, how can we tell others if we are mute?
 
The blind can see, the deaf can hear, and the mute sing the praises of God. These events do not necessarily deal with the cure of physical defects but spiritual handicaps. And the spiritual handicaps are not limited to a few individuals, but are common, even among those who call themselves Christian.
 
I will once more borrow from my new hero, Fr. Simeon OCSO (AKA Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis) in his penultimate reflection on St. Matthew’s Gospel [4] he says the following about the Lord’s encounter with the two blind men:
 
“Like a  pair  of light-hungry sunflowers, the two blind men follow Jesus' orbit in unison. Jesus had risen early from his wedding chamber, that is, from the meal with the tax collectors and sinners  (9:19; cf. commentary  on the dining scene in 9:14-17), reached midmorning on healing the woman with the hemorrhage (9:20-22), dazzling noonday on raising Jairus' daughter from the sleep of death (9:2 3- 26 ); and now, as the day begins to decline and Jesus is about to reenter "the house", he makes the light of his glory rise in the eyes and souls of the blind men, long deprived of the natural light  that is setting. ’His rising is at the one end of the heavens, his circuit touches their farthest ends; and nothing is hidden from his heat’ (Ps 18:6).”
 
Today, as hope once more streams from the word of God, we pray for ourselves, that the Lord will open our eyes that we might see more clearly, our ears that we might hear his voice, and our lips that we might praise him with each utterance we make.
 
Pax

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[1] The Picture is “Christ the Redeemer” by Tiziano Vecellio, 1533-34.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[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] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 477.