At the end of forty days Noah opened the porthole he had made in the ark and he sent out the raven. This went off, and flew back and forth until the waters dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove, to see whether the waters were receding from the surface of the earth. The dove, finding nowhere to perch, returned to him in the ark, for there was water over the whole surface of the earth; putting out his hand he took hold of it and brought it back into the ark with him. After waiting seven more days, again he sent out the dove from the ark. In the evening, the dove came back to him and there it was with a new olive-branch in its beak. So Noah realised that the waters were receding from the earth. After waiting seven more days he sent out the dove, and now it returned to him no more.
It was in the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month and on the first of the month, that the water dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the hatch of the ark and looked out. The surface of the ground was dry!
Noah built an altar for the Lord, and choosing from all the clean animals and all the clean birds he offered burnt offerings on the altar. The Lord smelt the appeasing fragrance and said to himself, ‘Never again will I curse the earth because of man, because his heart contrives evil from his infancy. Never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done.
‘As long as earth lasts,
sowing and reaping,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
shall cease no more.’
Responsorial Psalm 115(116):12-15,18-19
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
How can I repay the Lord
for his goodness to me?
The cup of salvation I will raise;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make to you, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Mark 8:22-26
The blind man was cured and could see everything distinctly
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.’
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Journey of faith
This passage of the blind man at Bethsaida illustrates a journey of faith. The gospel does not mention the name of the blind man, allowing us to see ourselves in his experience. He was led to Jesus by others. In the same way, we were accompanied by relatives or friends when we encountered God on the day of our Baptism. We were not alone but supported by those around us. Before encountering God, we were spiritually blind, we could not see with eyes of faith. He needed to touch our blindness repeatedly with His love and forgiveness so that our faith could grow and we could see life, not from the perspective of the materialistic world, but with spiritual insight, recognising ourselves and others as beloved children of the Father.
Christian faith is not static. It is not a set of commandments that one learns and practices but a journey that each one needs to walk, not alone but with God and in the community. This journey allows us to grow in vision, love, and understanding and to help others encounter Jesus as well.
Reflective question:
Is my journey of faith dynamic or static?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
