In today’s Gospel, Luke 7: 18b-23, John the Baptist, who is
in prison, asks his disciples to go to Jesus and ask whether he truly is “the one who is to come, or should we look
for another,” Jesus’ response is: “Go and tell John what you have seen and hear:
the blind regain their sight, the lame walk , lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to
them. And blessed is the one who takes
no offense at me.”
Jesus is quoting the
prophet Isaiah, who tells the Jewish
people that, when the Messiah comes, the “the
eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame
will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing for joy….” (Isaiah
35: 5). In other words, people recognize God’s presence in us by the good
we do. Blindness and deafness are lifted
in the presence of a God-centered person, a person who radiates the light of
God. When another speaks of peace, is just and kind, “the lame will leap like a
deer” (Is 35:6). The “dead” are raised to new life by “good-news” persons, by
persons who are take time to affirm others, acknowledge another's presence, greet them with care and/or recognizing the good they do by saying “thank you”. In the Common Sense Parenting Course out of Boys and Girls
Town, the first skill parents are taught is that of praising their children,
catching them doing something good and pointing that out: “Johnny, Mary, I should
saw you share that toy with your younger sister. That was very kind of you," or "good job, Johnny/Mary."
How would people recognize you as a son/daughter of God, as a
disciple of Christ?
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