O God, who through your Word
reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way,
grant, we pray,
that with prompt devotion and eager faith
the Christian people may hasten
toward the solemn celebrations to come.
(Roman Missal)
As a person who is colorblind, it is not unusual for me to ask family members or even staff people to identify the color of a piece of clothing. It is also not unusual for me to discover that something I thought was a particular color is not the color I thought it was. People who are not colorblind have the ability to see something I can’t.
There is something to which the people around us can be as blind as the man in our gospel reading, and that is the goodness of God in our world and in our lives. But with the same gift of faith that the blind man received, we can see the goodness of God that others can’t see. We can see the goodness of God in the tireless work of those helping those left homeless by flooding, earthquake, or just misfortune. We can see the goodness of God in the constant sacrifices made by parents and teachers on behalf of the children in their care. We can see the goodness of God in the openness of children to other people without regard to differences in color or culture. We can see the goodness of God in simple things like laughter between friends and the beauty of a spring day. We can see the goodness of God in people coming together for worship and praise.
It’s understandable that many of our neighbors can’t see the goodness of God even when it’s right in front of them. There is often so much that is ugly and painful before our eyes that it can sometimes be difficult even for those blessed with the gift of faith to see God’s goodness. It is at those times that we must ask the Lord to open our eyes as well.
ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL WEEK 6
THANKS! With help from 192 parishioners (9%), we are at 70% of our ADA goal. We still need $60,000 before we can start collecting a rebate for our own parish needs. Many parishes in the diocese have already gone over their goals and are busy collecting their rebates. Wouldn’t it be great to join them? There are only three weeks left in the campaign. If you have not yet sent in your pledge, please do it as soon as possible. Mail/drop off your pledge or donate online at DSJ.org.