Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (9: 27-31) in which two blind men came to Jesus seeking healing and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”.Fr Paul, continues to read from the ‘Heart of the Disciple’ booklet* for our daily reflections, saying the blind men encountered Jesus, and although they could not see, they knew Jesus and knew he was the Messiah. Isn’t it interesting that they were able to ‘see’ something that others with sight could not? They instinctively accepted faith in Jesus, revealed in their claiming him as Lord.  They turned to Jesus and, because of their faith, they were able to see ‘spiritually’ before they were able to see again physically.Having called out to Jesus in faith and at the top of their voices, they recognised in themselves a level of need that goes beyond the purely physical, and they find themselves crying out for mercy. So, in their heartfelt need, Jesus responds to them with mercy and compassion.Pope Francis reflects on this scene by reminding us that Jesus Christ is the “light that brightens the ‘nights’ of the heart and the world… the light that overcomes the darkness and triumphs over blindness” (Pope Francis homily 3 December 2021).The Pope speaks eloquently of Jesus in his defining document, The Joy of the Gospel. There he encourages us to reach out toward Jesus in faith and with all the desire of our hearts.  For ‘whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realise that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms… With a tenderness which never disappoints— he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew” (EG,3).For our reflection today, Fr Paul invites us to consider these questions. Do I fail to see and reach out to Jesus from my heart? Do I turn to him for the healing that would allow me to follow him more closely? What might hold me back from doing this?And today we pray:Loving God,You always offer to heal me so that I can follow you on the path that you have for me.Give me the confidence of these blind men, who instinctively called out to youEven though they did not know where it would lead.I pray for the wisdom to discern your presence and for the courage to say ‘yes’ to your as you lead me forward. We ask this through Christ our Lord.Amen.