The wealth of touch in faith

In the second of his articles on life and faith as a deafblind priest, Cyril Axelrod explains how he

Many years before I became totally blind, I used to love going for a long walk in the countryside and watching the wonders of nature – evergreen plants and trees, the wild world full of different colours, the placid lake with ducks swimming on it, the birds flying in the blue sky and so forth. I could not hear the sounds or songs, but I experienced that my sight was God's touch which vibrated throughout my body and spirit.

After becoming totally blind a few years ago, it was an explicit change of my experience in God's touch. Naturally, blindness can be an experience of abandonment or loneliness. But, in fact, the power of God never left me. It transmitted into a different way of seeing God through my senses of smell and touch.

A great amazement came to me when I went for a walk in a lovely garden with many different types of blooming flowers and fresh herbs. The fragrances filled my lungs with a sense of God's power of love. The different shapes of the flower petals and leaves gave me the mystery of God's touch.

At times, the blindness is my lifetime struggle and it leads me to feel down. But through my faith I pursue to walk in the garden as it is always uplifting for me because God never abandons us in times when life is changing, like when I lost my sight or hearing.

Sometimes when I cannot go out on account of the weather, I spend time inside holding the holy host – the Body of Christ. I place my hands on it and it signifies my touch on God within my darkness. It is like a stone turning over, turning my inner conflict to inner peace though faith. This gives my imagination an idea of how Jesus touched deafness and blindness. The wealth of touch stays in a human life no matter what comes into our lives. Faith always has an importance to a human being because it knots the bond of trust and faithfulness between God and us.

Faith cannot be seen with a human eye or heard with a human ear, it is simply the wealth of touch of God without expressing a single word but connecting with Him with a meaningful spirit.

4 comments

marc69's picture

thanks for your words of encouragement i have had a time of darkness but hearing of your story has sent a good message to me about why i have had to go on this path and what way is best for me now, marc

Eddie's picture

Rev. Cyril! Thaks and go ahead!

Sister Marika's picture

Thank you Father Cyril for reminding us of the things that really matter to us - no matter what dark paths life leads us into, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Fr Cyril reaches out to other deaf, deafblind and hearing people, shattering the darkness within each person. I have rarely ever met a person so tranquil inside. But it has been a long hard journey for him. Want to find out more - read his book - "And the Journey Begins". I read it from cover to cover in 3 hours at one sitting. A life enhancing book.

Reg Kennedy's picture

When I read of this kind of faith my response is a mixture of wonder, shame and challenge.
Many who have suffered like Cyril would be so bitter and blame God for allowing it. But instead, he finds a loving God through the death of Jesus, supporting and strengthening him. And then Cyril doesn't just indulge himself but goes out to help others. Wonderful. Thank you.
Reg Kennedy
With all my faculties still functioning I'm so grateful and

Latest tweets