Touching their eyes, he said to them, “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” Nothing disenfranchises an individual in a greater measure than the deprivation of the ability to see, hear, or speak. These are deprivations that make an individual to be labeled abnormal, handicapped, or as we say today, challenged. Such individuals are, for the most part, cut off from the larger community and suffer incredibly from loneliness and stigma. While in our contemporary society a lot is being done to correct this sin (although other conditions that do disenfranchise persons are still present), the same cannot be said about the world from which the two individuals whom we meet in today’s Gospel passage came. Because of being deprived of the ability to see, these two individuals were not able to fully participate in the affairs of their community. Their condition pushed them into the margins of the society where they were often forgotten. It must have, therefore, come as good news to them when they came to know of this rabbi Jesus of Nazareth who could heal them. And their faith and persistence in wanting to be healed (they followed Jesus into the house) paid off. Jesus healed them.
Jesus’ healing of the two blind individuals resulted from two things: their faith in Jesus’ ability to make them whole; and Jesus’ willingness to heal them (he touched them). While it might pass as a very inconsequential gesture from Jesus, the contrary is very true. Most of Jesus’ healings included touching (either by Jesus or by those who were healed). Most of the people Jesus healed were pushed to the margins where they could stay away from the ‘healthy’ (whole) members of the community. No one dared touch them. And I am sure they missed the feeling of warmth that results from interacting with others (a basic human need). Touch was the best gift that Jesus gave to the two. To them, it was good news in action. They were once again members of the society and citizens of their community. No longer were they to live in fear and separated from their families and loved ones. It was a feeling that they probably had never had in a long time. No wonder they defied Jesus’ order not to speak about what had happened to them. Instead of remaining silent, they went out and spread abroad the good news about what had happened to them. And who can blame them? They had been given a new lifeline and they could not afford to live in hiding anymore. 
Jesus assumed our nature so that he could be close to us in order to “touch” us. Throughout his ministry, he touched the lives of many of his brothers and sisters. And when he was ready to ascend back to the Father, he commissioned those whom he had chosen to continue with his mission of ‘touching’ lives. As we await the commemoration of his coming to dwell in our midst, may we be reminded of what that celebration means for us who have been called by his name. Most importantly, may we worthily await the commemoration of his birth by continuing the mission of extending a healing touch to those whom we encounter.