Revealed in stages

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to deepen our experience of life in Christ by contemplation of revelation in nature that requires our patient acceptance of the plan of God.

Gradually seeing the truth

In the Book of Genesis, Noah eventually is able to praise the work of God as he patiently waits for a sign of the end of his ordeal.

 * [8:13–14] On the first day of the first month, the world was in the state it had been on the day of creation in chap. 1. Noah had to wait another month until the earth was properly dry as in 1:9.1

The Blind Man of Bethsaida in the Gospel from Mark is cured in stages as Jesus change in His life is an analogy of how truth requires patient faith to become clear.

* [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 (Mk 7:31–37). Some commentators regard the cure as an intended symbol of the gradual enlightenment of the disciples concerning Jesus’ messiahship.2 

Eileen Wirth shares a message for all of us impatient, driven people. When we have problems, especially those involving other people that we are helpless to solve, we need to turn things over to God and wait for his plan to be revealed.

We can call for help and suggest how God respond – promptly—but God may have different ideas. Maybe what we learn from our trials will make us better people. A very perceptive psychologist once wrote that no one wants to suffer but it can break us open and make us wiser and more compassionate. Tough as it can be, we just have to trust God’s infinite wisdom, love and mercy.
Like Noah in today’s reading, we have to learn to live through our trials at God’s pace, not ours.  

Don Schwager quotes “Through the divine word of Christ he received his sight,” attributed to Pseudo-Chrysostom, 5th century A.D.

"[Jesus] spat indeed, and put his hand upon the blind man, because he wished to show that wonderful are the effects of the Divine word added to action; for the hand is the symbol of working, but the spittle, of the word proceeding out of the mouth. Again he asked him whether he could see any thing, which he had not done in the case of any whom he had healed, thus showing that by the weak faith of those who brought him, and of the blind man himself, his eyes could not altogether be opened. There follows: 'And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees walking;' because he was still under the influence of unfaithfulness, he said that he saw men obscurely. From the commencement, however, of the return of his senses, he leads him to apprehend things by faith, and thus makes him see perfectly. He then goes on to say, After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes, and he began to see, and afterwards he adds, And he was restored, and saw all things clearly; he was perfectly healed in his senses and his intellect." (excerpt from a Commentary on Mark 8:22-25, attributed to Pseudo-Chrysostom, an early church father unknown today, but was ascribed for a time to John Chrysostom, 5th century AD)4 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 8:22-26 asks How many times have you found yourself in a situation like this man, not knowing where you are going or how Jesus is going to work things out? You might have felt confused: Why is God letting this happen? How will he resolve this situation? When am I finally going to be able to see what he is up to?

Like the trust that builds between a blind person and her guide dog, we need to build up our trust in the Lord over time. We do that by staying close to him and letting him guide us in those times when we aren’t facing a crisis. As we learn to trust him with small things, we will be more peaceful when we are faced with serious challenges. We will know from experience that God is on our side, and we will grow in confidence that he will eventually help us to see our challenges through his eyes of love.5 

Friar Jude Winkler compares the response of God to Noah in the Priestly source part of Genesis to sacrifice in the flood epic from Mesopotamia. In Mark, faith miracles teach that we can get it wrong the first time and we will have a second chance when we hold onto faith. Friar Jude notes that Mark shows that the disciples did not see Jesus mission clearly until the Cross.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274) on Sacred writings are bound in two volumes—that of creation and that of Holy Scripture. — [1]. He notes that as both Paul and Thomas Aquinas say, God has been revealing God’s love, goodness, and beauty since the very beginning through the natural world of creation. “God looked at everything God had made, and found it very good” (Genesis 1:31).

 Sister Ilia Delio writes in true Franciscan style:
The world is created as a means of God’s self-revelation so that, like a mirror or footprint, it might lead us to love and praise the Creator. We are created to read the book of creation so that we may know the Author of Life. This book of creation is an expression of who God is and is meant to lead humans to what it signifies, namely, the eternal Trinity of dynamic, self-diffusive love. [2]6

The impatient impulses of our time often blind us to the patient revelation of truth that God plans for us in life.

References

1	(n.d.). Genesis chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Genesis/8:6
2	(n.d.). Mark chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/8:22
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 20, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). 6th Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/02/20
6	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 20, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02/