Reflection on Readings: The Necessity of Walking Blindfolded

Wednesday's readings touched on the interesting relationship among faith, prayer, God's answer and giving.

1st Reading

 Acts 3:1-10

"... a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”

1. When praying, we fall into the habit of focusing heavily on the material need (he asked for alms) vs. what we truly need.  
2. Sometimes we don't know what we need.  Thankfully, God does.
3. When we know what we need, but doubt its possibility, sometimes we tailor our prayer to just what is logically possible.  We forget that nothing is impossible with God.  We should not confine our prayers to the limits of our capabilities but to God's - and God's capabilities are boundless!
4. Giving is a gift.  If you have the capacity and the prompting to give, no matter how insignificant the offering or how odd the circumstances, give.  What you have to offer might exactly be what the person needs. (“I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”) I recall a story my mom told us when we were younger.  She was praying at the Blessed Sacrament one evening and there was another lady there who was crying.  She did not know who this person was nor why she was crying.  But something inside her prompted her to give a small amount, which was all she could afford.  At the risk of insulting the lady (she didn't look like she needed money), my mom got up and gave her small offering.  Seeing what she gave, the lady broke down all the more.  As it turned out, she could barely make ends meet and needed money at that moment to buy food.  What my mom gave was enough to tide them over.  Needless to say, they became good friends after that.
5. God's answers can come through unexpected people and sometimes comes when you least expect it. 

Gospel

 Luke 24:13-35

"Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him."

"With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

"So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. "

What struck me about the first line is that "their eyes were prevented from recognizing him".  Not knowing who Jesus was enabled them to experience the walk with him more fully, unfiltered. Instead of their usual teacher-student relationship where they mostly waited for and listened to Jesus' explanations, the conversation became more interactive.  They were able to discuss in more depth and they were more receptive and open.

Taking this passage in daily ordinary context ...

Every person we meet, we meet for a reason.  The same is true for every situation we go through.  We do not know this at the onset, but it unfolds as we walk with them/it.

1. Keep the blindfold on.  No expectations.  That's the only way you can experience it fully.  You do not always have to know why or to understand the point.  
2. Just run with it.  The point is, you have to go through it to get the point.  Get it?
3. The heart knows: when to keep going and when to stop; when it is right and when it is not.  If it is God's will, the "heart [will be] burning within us".
4. It can end in a blink of an eye.  So be in the moment. Be with whoever you are walking with.
5. Keep it burning.  When it ends, take the good.  (There is ALWAYS something good). Keep it burning, so you can use it to ...
6. Light up another soul.