ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 26, 2022
In recent weeks, in part because of my class on Signs and Wonders (miracles), I have been thinking about the word healing. In Mark 10, Jesus asks a blind man the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” My first reaction as I read those words is to laugh. “He’s blind,” I think to myself. “It’s pretty obvious what he would want.” Despite some people believing Jesus was omniscient (knew every thought), I hear Jesus asking the question sincerely and out of a desire to know. What we might perceive as an injury in need of healing might not even make the top ten on someone else’s list. We might notice a physical limp, but it is the feelings of being buried under the to-do list at the office that are really causing injury to one’s mind and soul. It’s as if Jesus is giving us a little advice–don’t assume or read your own concerns into someone else’s life situation. Give others the space to tell you what is hurting or in need of attention, and only then are you able to respond with whatever gift you might have to offer. And in many cases, it might just be a nonjudgmental listening ear.
Grant me grace and patience to listen, O Merciful God. In the same way that I wish to be seen beyond a single attribute, assist me in providing a safe space for others to speak their truth, their hurts, their questions, their fears. Amen.
