Recovery from Blindness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today encourage us that faith in Providence is the first step in our progress against chaos as the Spirit reveals a clearer view of our journey.

A Clearer View in Chaos

The reading from the Book of Genesis presents God’s Promise to Noah after the Flood.

* [8:7–12] In the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, Utnapishtim (the equivalent of Noah) released in succession a dove, a swallow, and a raven. When the raven did not return, Utnapishtim knew it was safe to leave the ark. The first century A.D. Roman author Pliny tells of Indian sailors who release birds in order to follow them toward land.

* [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. (Genesis, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness.

* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions. (Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus Cures a Blind Man at Bethsaida.

* [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. (Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

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.  Patience! (Wirth, n.d.)

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, by an unknown early church father, who was thought for a time to be John Chrysostom (5 th century AD), now described as Pseudo-Chrysostom) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22 comments that as the Lord had been faithful in the past, Noah and his family could trust him in the future. Facing life after the flood, they knew they needed God’s protection and direction just as much as before. And they knew they could trust that he would take care of them. So they dedicated themselves to the Lord.

You can do that, too. Imagine building an “altar” in your heart, a place where you can offer thanks to God and rededicate your life to him. You can praise God for his protection when you have been called to stand in the face of a storm. You can thank him for the strength he has given you to follow him over the years. And like Noah, you can dedicate yourself anew each day to the God who has been so faithful to you.

Each day is a new beginning. So take the time to offer this new day to the Lord and give thanks to him for his faithfulness!

“Lord, I come to you with thanks and praise today. I surrender my life once more to your loving protection!” (Meditation on Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22, 2025)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the promise of God and the symbol of the rainbow that the earth will never be destroyed by flood again. The flood in Genesis resonates with ancient legends of the time. Friar Jude comments on the connection of the fate of the disciples to the two interventions as a parable in the account of Jesus healing in Bethsaida.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces writer-activist Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove who shares how civil rights icon Vincent Harding encouraged the riders to honor their own stories and those of others.

I watched young white people on that freedom ride unpack their so-called privilege, questioning basic assumptions about success and faithfulness. Our liberation was tied to that of young undocumented sisters and brothers who were also questioning the American dream—how the future it promised did not include their own parents. A formerly incarcerated African American man stood tall, celebrating a newfound pride that he was the son of women and men who had shown America what freedom means…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We may be able, in these days, to identify with the hope of Noah for a sign that the chaos in the world was coming under control through our relationship with God and our faith in Divine restoration of our vision for a world of love, compassion, and truth.

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/8?6 

Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?22 

Meditation on Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22. (2025, February 19). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/19/1206424/ 

Psalms, PSALM 116 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/116?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Understanding Something New. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/understanding-something-new/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Blind Man Was Restored, and Saw Everything Clearly. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb19 

Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/022019.html 

Yeast of Destruction

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to identify and prepare for the flood of chaos that is a leaven spreading destruction in the lives of our communities.

Yeast of Chaos

The reading from the Book of Genesis describes The Great Flood.

* [6:5–8:22] The story of the great flood is commonly regarded as a composite narrative based on separate sources woven together. To the Yahwist source, with some later editorial additions, are usually assigned 6:5–8; 7:1–5, 7–10, 12, 16b, 17b, 22–23; 8:2b–3a, 6–12, 13b, 20–22. The other sections are usually attributed to the Priestly writer. There are differences between the two sources: the Priestly source has two pairs of every animal, whereas the Yahwist source has seven pairs of clean animals and two pairs of unclean; the floodwater in the Priestly source is the waters under and over the earth that burst forth, whereas in the Yahwist source the floodwater is the rain lasting forty days and nights. In spite of many obvious discrepancies in these two sources, one should read the story as a coherent narrative. The biblical story ultimately draws upon an ancient Mesopotamian tradition of a great flood, preserved in the Sumerian flood story, the eleventh tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic, and (embedded in a longer creation story) the Atrahasis Epic. (Genesis, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 29 praises The Voice of God in a Great Storm.

* [Psalm 29] The hymn invites the members of the heavenly court to acknowledge God’s supremacy by ascribing glory and might to God alone (Ps 29:1–2a, 9b). Divine glory and might are dramatically visible in the storm (Ps 29:3–9a). The storm apparently comes from the Mediterranean onto the coast of Syria-Palestine and then moves inland. In Ps 29:10 the divine beings acclaim God’s eternal kingship. The Psalm concludes with a prayer that God will impart the power just displayed to the Israelite king and through the king to Israel. (Psalms, PSALM 29 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus condemns the Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.

* [8:15] The leaven of the Pharisees…of Herod: the corruptive action of leaven (1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9) was an apt symbol of the evil dispositions both of the Pharisees (Mk 8:11–13; 7:5–13) and of Herod (Mk 6:14–29) toward Jesus. The disciples of Jesus are warned against sharing such rebellious attitudes toward Jesus; cf. Mk 8:17, 21. (Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

Nancy Shirley reflects on reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl spent time not only in Auschwitz but also three other labor camps. 

The Serenity Prayer speaks of having the wisdom to know the difference to have courage to change or serenity to accept things.  Frankl asserted that Wisdom of knowing the difference was critical to survival - when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Building on his teachings and insights, it was said

Spiritual warfare is a must to victory. A life of prayer defeats the enemy of your soul and gives you direct connection to the One who created you, God, and it builds your relationship with Jesus Christ.   

My recent challenges in pursuing “serenity” pale in regards to what Viktor and so many others have endured. Once again, writing this reflection is a gift to me and puts so much in perspective. As you all know, music is what speaks most clearly to me, I couldn’t help but think of lines from the song, How Can I Keep From Singing?

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing (Shirley, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Heed the truth of the Gospel,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)

"The apostles are ordered to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They are warned not to be involved in the disputes of the Jews. The works of the law are now to be viewed in the light of faith. They are forewarned that they, into whose time and age the truth had appeared incarnate, should judge nothing except which lies within the position of hope in likeness of the truth that is revealed. They are warned against allowing the doctrine of the Pharisees, who are unaware of Christ, to corrupt the effectiveness of the truth of the gospel." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 16.3) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 8:14-21 comments that Jesus wants to give us a new way to perceive the world and his work in it. Are we looking just with our physical eyes, or are we learning to see more deeply? How do we look beyond the immediate and obvious and try to appreciate how the Holy Spirit—whom we cannot see—is at work?

Ponder these questions. Thank God for the moments when you did look closely, and ask him to help you become even more attentive. Let Jesus, the Master Artist, open your eyes further so that you can behold the beauty of his work.

“Come, Holy Spirit, and open my eyes today!” (Meditation on Mark 8:14-21, 2025)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Felicia Murrell who shares her experience of growing up with a strong sense of our story that was limited by the power of other stories.

How do we move toward each other in love, the truth of our authentic power? Perhaps, we welcome change instead of resisting it. To expand my worldview beyond the paradigm of Southern, Christian, rural or working poor to a larger cosmic frame that is inclusive, universal, affirming, and accepting, I needed to see the parts and the whole in all their majestic splendor and their messy complexity.  

Transcendence is not a denial or detachment from my story or our story. It is an arduous commitment to truth-telling; to fully seeing; to empathetic listening that requires the work of living and be-ing in the world; of deep, intimate knowing; of moving beyond our theories and maps into relationship building. (Rohr, n.d.)

We consider the rabbinic saying that connects the nature of punishment to the sin as we pray about the impact of social and political chaos on our mission.

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/6?5 

Mark, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?14 

Meditation on Mark 8:14-21. (2025, February 18). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/18/1205841/ 

Psalms, PSALM 29 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/29?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Impact of Our Story on Others. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-impact-of-our-story-on-others/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb18 

Shirley, N. (2025, February 18). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/021825.html