From: Mark 8:22-26

The Curing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

[22] And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to Him (Jesus) a
blind man, and begged Him to touch him. [23] And He took the blind man by
the hand, and led him out of the village. And when He had spit on his eyes and
laid His hands upon him, He asked, “Do you see anything?” [24] And he looked
up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” [25] Then again He
laid His hands upon his eyes; and He looked intently and was restored, and saw
everything clearly. [26] And He sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even
enter the village.”

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Commentary:

22-25. Normally the cures which Jesus worked were instantaneous; not so in
this case. Why? Because the blind man’s faith was very weak, it would seem,
to begin with. Before curing the eyes of his body, Jesus wanted the man’s faith
to grow; the more it grew and the more trusting the man became, the more sight
Jesus gave him. In this way Jesus acted in keeping with His usual pattern: not
working miracles unless there was a right predisposition, yet encouraging a good
disposition in the person and giving more grace as he responds to the grace al-
ready given.

God’s grace is essential even for desiring holy things: “Give us light, Lord. Be-
hold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he wished
to see the light and could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see
it. Oh, what a hopeless ill is this! Here, my God, must be manifested by Thy
power and Thy mercy” (St. Teresa, “Exclamations of the Soul to God”, 8).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading

James 1:19-27 ©

Remember this, my dear brothers: be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger; so do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. To listen to the word and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then, after a quick look, going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit – not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice – will be happy in all that he does.

Nobody must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

Psalm

Psalm 14:2-5 ©

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbour,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honours those who fear the Lord.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm for ever.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:105

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

enlighten the eyes of our mind,

so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’