Friday of the First
Week of Advent
(Isaiah 29:17-24, Matthew 9:27-31)
Jesuit Fr. Mark Link once suggested a simple examination of
conscience at the end of the day. He said
that we should pray, “Thank you, Father,” followed by naming a blessing that we
have received during the day. Then, we
are to say, “I am sorry, Jesus,” now identifying a particular sin, perhaps of
omission, that we have committed this day.
Finally, we to pray, “Holy Spirit, help me,” and include a challenge we
face tomorrow. When we pray in this way,
we see our lives with wider perspective.
We begin to notice favors that we have taken for granted, faults that we
have overlooked, and help when we think we are alone.
In the first reading, Isaiah looks toward the coming of the
Messiah as a time when “the eyes of the blind shall see.” This literally happens in the gospel when
Jesus restores the sight of two blind men.
It also happens to us as we become more aware of our experience through
prayers like the one Fr. Link proposed.
Invoking the Trinity, Link’s examination of conscience is eminently
Christian. Done with Advent awareness of
the coming of Christ, it brings us to a powerful encounter with the Savior.
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