Be the blind who have faith

Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

A reflection on the daily readings, for the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, priest, by Father Perry.

+ The sign of the messiah was to be healing, healing, healing of every sort; and justice, peace, protection, and care of the poor and a new world.

Or to put it more poetically: a desert will be turned into an orchard that will be seen as a forest.

Talk about abundance and fruitfulness!

And so Jesus went about healing, healing, healing; and today not one but two blind men were healed.

They cried out to a messianic presence among them, and messianic healing occurred — “and the blind shall see.”

But this messiah was to be different.

All of the messianic language of the scriptures would not prepare for this kind of messiah. Because this messiah was to “save us from ourselves.”

Yes! This messiah was to “go deeper” than just physical healing, healing, healing; this messiah was to heal at the roots.

This messiah was to heal us from our “sin,” the part of us that could keep us from being truly human and, therefore, also recognizing the divine within us.

The divine is what creates God’s order within, from which springs: justice, peace, love, compassion, truth, kindness, joy, fairness, wholeness.

And where would this finally and most completely be established and proclaimed in all of its fullness but on the cross.

There! Love conquering hate! Unrelenting forgiveness!

Only a love that was so divine could create such a messianic healing, healing, healing of our souls — of our spirit, of our humanity!

Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.