15 April 2016 - not to scale

[ Today's Readings ]

He is there praying,
and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias
come in and lay his hands on him,
that he may regain his sight.

We too need to regain our sight, LORD Jesus. We don't recognize you in your people.

The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 
Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” 

We don't recognize you in the Eucharist

“How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” 

The trouble is that we think we see. We tacitly acknowledge these truths. But they don't penetrate us the way we know they should. You may need to blind us to what we think we see. This is frightening and disorienting.

Saul got up from the ground,
but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;

It is frightening. But in this condition we are willing to be led.

so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.

But you only blind us so that we can come to truly see. You take away the shadows to reveal the substance.

Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes
and he regained his sight. 

Now we see you even in our brothers and sisters. Now we can look at the Eucharist and see it for who it is. No longer is it just a platitude we acknowledge. It is a truth for which we live and which impacts everything that we do.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my Flesh is true food,
and my Blood is true drink. 

And now that we see it we willing to step beyond our fear to share it.

“Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man,
what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests
to imprison all who call upon your name.” 
But the Lord said to him,
“Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” 

We ourselves receive the true sight and purity of vision from the Holy Spirit. And we ourselves receive the strength from the bread of life. Now even people like Saul who seem to be not only lost causes but dangerous don't scare us. If the LORD leads us we become courageous and tell even such as him about the good news.

Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

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