Monday, November 14, 2016 33rd Week in
Ordinary Time
First Reading:
Rv 1: 1-4; 2: 1-5
Gospel Reading:
Lk 18:35-43
When Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging. As he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what it was, and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by. Then he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people in front scolded him, “Be quiet!” but he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him, and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the man said, “Lord that I may see!” Jesus said, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.” At once the blind man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. And all the people who were there also praised God.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
A story is told of a group of frogs leaping through the woods. Two fell into a deep pit. The other frogs quickly gathered around the pit and, seeing how deep the pit was, exclaimed that the two were as good as dead. One frog succumbed to the comments of the unsympathetic crowd of frogs and died. The other frog continued jumping until he got out of the pit. Then they found out the frog was deaf. The more they jeered at him the harder he jumped thinking they were cheering for him.
The blind man in today’s Gospel reading also found himself in the midst of a non-sympathetic crowd. He was in real crisis because he was not only blind but was also a persona non grata. Yet he knew that Jesus was the solution to his woes and that there was no other chance to call out on him that close. So he ignored the crowd.
The blind man saw what most of us do not see in times of crisis. We panic when friends turn us down, when the people we love dissert us, when business partners boot us out and when those closest to our hearts betray us. Panic takes us to an exhausting emotional state. We seek comfort in people but few there are who truly care especially when we have become useless to them.
Crisis, though, has one important positive effect. It drives false friends away from us. There are so many of them around us, by the way. The greater the crisis, the more they are uncovered and there is a big chance we’d be left with no one to lean on as the crisis gets thicker. These hypocrites are like squids that leave our surroundings murky as they abandon us. The likes of the blind man in today’s Gospel reading won’t panic because they have the faith that shines brightly in the dark. They see God. Now who is the real blind? -(Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM., MAPM., MMExM., REB., Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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