Once again, we hear from the prophet Isaiah, and one of the striking things about prophecy is the very sheer fact that God foretells, long before the events themselves, what will happen in the future—doing so with precision and with a spiritual depth that reveals the grandeur of His plan, His wisdom, and His mighty power.
In today’s first reading from Isaiah, we hear that God will do wonders, that He will accomplish great works in the midst of His people. And in His own words: “When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, they shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob and be in awe of the God of Israel.” One of the works Isaiah explicitly mentions is the giving of sight to those who are blind.
And this, my brothers and sisters, causes the two blind men in today’s Gospel to overflow with amazement, because before Jesus dawned upon humanity, such things had never been heard of. This is precisely why it was first given as a promise by God. And we know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the light of the world. He alone can show us the way. There is no other way to God but Jesus—Jesus who reveals the Father, and the Father who reveals Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
God makes Himself known through His works. Again, from Isaiah, we hear how God promises that His holiness will be recognized through what He does. Here, knowledge of God does not come primarily through words, but through visible and transformative acts. And so Jesus performs these astounding miracles in full view of all. They lead to jubilation and conversion of heart, but they also provoke questions and even controversy. People begin to ask: who is this Jesus?
And they were not yet ready to receive the full truth of who Jesus is. Just as today, we often shy away from proclaiming who Jesus truly is because we fear offending others. We have entered into a kind of sentimentality regarding our relationship with other faiths and religions, where we hesitate to speak clearly about the one and only true path to the Father—Jesus Christ.
In today’s Gospel, after Jesus heals the two blind men, He tells them: “See that no one knows about this.” These are His exact words. Yet they go out and spread word of Him throughout the land. Our Lord knew that people were not yet ready to receive the truth of who He truly is. The time had not yet come. Even the apostles struggled to understand. Saint John the Baptist himself was unsettled by a Messiah who forgives, heals, and loves without measure—something far beyond their expectation of a political liberator or nationalist redeemer.
The truth had to be revealed gradually—a truth so powerful, so precious, and so valuable. It must remain the treasure of our hearts, because it is the truth that leads to everlasting life. Even if we close our eyes in this world, we open them in the next.
My brothers and sisters, be stout of heart. Treasure, protect, and fight for the truth that has been entrusted to you, because it was handed on at a very great cost: the precious Blood of the Lamb of God, the beloved Son of the one and eternal Father. One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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