Gaining a Greater Sight - Fr. Micah - August 8, 2021

Today on the 7th Sunday of Matthew the Gospel lesson comes to us from Matthew 9:27-35. Therein we hear about two blind men following and calling out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” Although the two men were blind, they recognized Our Lord to be the Living God and were healed because of their faith. In his homily Father Micah asks the question, are we able to see the Light of Christ that permeates the world and our lives? He shares with us that if we are to gain a greater sight then we must do as the blind men and call on the name of Jesus. A simple but often neglected treasure of the Orthodox Church is the Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”. By saying Lord, we are addressing the One who existed before all else and brought all things into being. In the name Jesus we are addressing a living Person who is the source of all life and whose name means God Saves. The prayer concludes with, have mercy on me and therefore contains the entire world, from the heavens to the one who prays. The Jesus Prayer will help us to see that Our Christ walks with us helping us to realize that the world and the people in it are precious gifts.