Open Your Eyes

Daily Readings for Friday 5 December

First Reading   ~  Isaiah 29:17-24

Psalm   ~  Psalm 27

Gospel   ~  Matthew 9:27-31

This Advent I'm learning - slowly and imperfectly - how to make room for a Babe in my heart and my life. This daily series at Ardent Devotion documents my journey with God's word throughout Advent, and the little ways in which He is revealing His Truth to me day by day. I invite you to join with me in committing to a Christ-filled Advent, so that we can arrive at the manger-side with wondrous hearts.

 The 1st Friday of Advent

Most of NET's skits are open to interpretation and artistic license. From team to team, one-liners will vary, different quips will be made and, depending on the group of young people, humour chopped and changed to suit their tastes. A recent rendition of Vaseline saw members of the Sydney team acting out a 'horror theme' and engaging in the following discourse:

"Somebody turned out the lights! Oh my gosh, somebody turned out the lights!"

"What are you talking about? The lights are on!"

"But it's so dark!"

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

I laughed, and made a mental note to include that conversation the next time I performed Vaseline. That kind of humour tends to appeal to every age group, because it concerns itself with something we universally find funny: pointing out the obvious. Any old fool could draw the conclusion that closed eyes leads to darkness... couldn't they?

It fascinates me just how frequently I encounter - in myself and in others - a tendency to walk through life with our eyes firmly shut. This self-imposed blindness takes many forms: stubbornness (closing our eyes to a different point of view); pessimism (closing our eyes to the light and joy in situations); selfishness (closing our eyes to the needs of others); boredom (closing our eyes to new wonder) and many more. These blindnesses are mostly self-inflicted, and often lived out unconsciously. We don't realise how much we have closed our eyes until, by contrast to the Light seen in Jesus, we notice how dark our lives have become. And we then, like the two blind men in today's gospel, recognize that we stand in need of a cure.

Jesus' words ring true in each of our lives, and in response to each of our blindnesses: "According to your faith, let it be done to you." He knows that we can only be healed of these things if we believe we will be. Our faith must impel us to embrace the remedy. And the only remedy to blindness - the one surefire way to see again - is by opening your eyes. 

Open your eyes to a different point of view. Maybe, just maybe, you're not infallible. It's wonderful to be firmly convicted of the Truth that God has spoken to your heart, and steadfast in His ways. But do make sure that it's His ways you're being steadfast in, and not merely your own. Pride and stubbornness tend to go hand-in-hand. When we form too elevated an opinion of our own discernment, we tend to become inflexible, obstinate and - well - a little bit tyrannical. Our God is a God of humility. He came to earth as the poorest of men and died on a cross. Open your eyes. Recognise that we too must die to ourselves and our own opinions for Christ's sake. Have the humility to let go and see others, in their weakness and fallibility, without letting pride stand in the way of love.

Open your eyes to the light and joy in situations. I promise it is there. Rejoice in the good that God injects into all things - or at very least the good that He can bring from all things. He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. So don't despair. Don't fret. Just breathe, and try to notice afresh the goodness intrinsic to existence. When all else fails, just laugh at yourself (if you're anywhere near as awkward as I am, that's not a hard task). Pessimism can only pull us away from Christ: seeking the darkness in situations does no good in helping us draw close to the Light. Open your eyes. Remember that He is there through it all.

Open your eyes to the needs of others. Selfishness is a slow and deadly poison. Little by little, it numbs our sensitivity towards others until we become apathetic and incapable of love. Christ needs us to see our suffering brothers and sisters; to reach out to them in whatever ways we can, be it as simple as a smile and genuine 'hello'. He is there in each one of them, and He needs us to start consciously going out of ourselves and our comfortable existences to serve this world in need. Open your eyes. See Him in everyone you encounter this day, and do not let any of them remain forgotten or abandoned if you have the capacity to change their situation.

Open your eyes to new wonder. Especially in Advent. We revisit the Crib year after year, and if we don't keep opening our eyes afresh, it too easily becomes mundane: just another ritual of the season. Think back to what Christmas was like as a small child. There was a sort of magic about it, wasn't there? When you stood before the Nativity scene and simply inhaled the humble grandeur of it all, something seemed to whisper excitedly in the depths of your heart, and it was all you could do to keep from bursting into song. Over time, our vision of the majesty of the Incarnation can become glazed over. Don't miss out this Christmas. Open your eyes. Stand in wonder and awe before that Crib; stand in wonder and awe before every beautiful, majestic moment that the Lord delivers to you.

If we have faith, our eyes will be opened. Believe that Jesus is able to give you a newness of vision this Advent. Believe that He can shed light on whatever blindness you struggle with. He is able, and He wants to help us see anew. Recognise your need for His mercy, beg for Him to heal you, and you will see.

If your life seems dark; if you can't find the way, it's not because the Light has gone away. No, our Lord, the Light, is ever here. All we need do is open our eyes.

~~~

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin, at a stable, at midnight in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through our Saviour Jesus Christ and His most blessed Mother.

AMDG