The First Reading speaks of the coming of the Lord: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped" (Is. 35: 5) and this is what Jesus does in the Gospel reading. The implications for us though is, using the Second Reading, does the proclamation of the Gospel in our midst, open our eyes to the suffering in the community and unstop our ears to the cries of those in need of our help? At the start of Social Justice Week, which this year has the theme of "Enabling Communities" we are challenged to see how each one of us can play a part in enabling community in the parish, the church and wider society. So many people are lonely, isolated and deprived of human contact as well as lacking the financial resources to pay for their basic needs. Divorce, drug addiction, mental illness, a lack of religious affiliation or tradition and other factors mean that despite all of the technology at our disposal many people are affected by a lack of community than ever before. Let us discern how we can best meet the needs of others so that our own need of community may be met. Let us open our hearts to the Lord so that the Holy Spirit may guide us and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin sustain us as we work for the Kingdom which is the community of those who will be gathered to God for eternity.
No comments:
Post a Comment