"Thus says the LORD:
Say to those whose hearts are
frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared.”
These words of the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading should be an encouragement to us. Certainly they are intended as a prophecy of the Messiah, and more immediately of the salvation of the people of Israel from their time in captivity. Still, Scripture has multiple meanings (past, present, and future) which are all intended by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we can read in these words an encouragement to us who, at this point in the history of the Church, feel like we are in our own darkness, our own time of captivity, waiting for the Lord to come vindicate us and open the eyes of all of those who have been blind to His Truth.
May He heal all who have been victims of the abuses of power in the Church; may He free them from the wounds and burdens which weigh them down; may He open the eyes of all bishops and priests who still might be blind to the crimes committed against our Lord and His little ones; finally, may He prevent all of us from falling into bitterness and despair. He does not abandon us!