Reflection for March 7 – Mary Kercher

Todays Passage from the Bible – Mark 8:22-38

They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’ And the man looked up and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’ 

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

Reflection – Mary Kercher

Have you ever experienced a miracle? When I was in high school, I worked all summer long, saving up my money so I could buy contact lenses. At the end of the summer, I  was able to purchase them. Then one fall evening we had gone to a concert and on the way home walking down the sidewalk, I rubbed my eyes and when I got home, one of the contact lenses was missing. I was devastated! No insurance for contacts back then. So I went back to the place where I had rubbed my eyes with a flashlight and, lo and behold, I found that contact lens. At the time it seemed like such a wonderful miracle.

A couple of years later, I was at the beach with Barry, standing on a pier that went out into the ocean. Again something happened and a contact lens dropped through the pier to the sand below. I told Barry to stand right where we were and I went down under the pier and found the spot directly beneath him. And, once again, I  found that lens! Were there now two miracles? Oh yes, I must mention there were a lot of prayers involved, too!

Were these miracles? I don’t know; maybe the miracle was that God had blessed me with a talent for finding things. Just ask my husband who did not receive that talent! At any rate, I believe God had a hand in it.

Lord, help us to appreciate the miracles of life we see every day and to be sensitive to how you might want to work some miracles through us. Amen.

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