Lord, I want to See

Listening to the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Jn 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”—which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbours and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

Reflection

Today's subject of our readings is a realistic acceptance – the fact that there is darkness and that, like the man born blind, we all experience blindness in life.

In the Gospel, Jesus met and cured a man born blind. But there are three other blind groups.

The first group of blinds is the apostles (in the long version of the Gospel passage on the blind man). Instead of helping the blind, they asked Jesus: whose sin caused the man to become blind?

The second group of blinds is the blind man's neighbours and those who had seen him earlier. Even after witnessing with their eyes the healing miracle performed by Jesus to the blind, they refused to acknowledge it, their heart closed and blinded. Probably they were afraid of being expelled from the synagogue by the Pharisees. They may have little faith in Jesus but are afraid to profess it.

The last group of blinds is the Pharisees. They refuse to acknowledge that Jesus has the power of healing. He healed the blind man miraculously. They even blame Jesus since it happened on a Sabbath day. The Pharisees' attitude shows us that they are blind to the truth already in their eyes.

However, the main character that the Gospel presents to us is the blind man himself, whom Jesus cures because of his faith. Though he was blind physically, he could see with his heart. While the other three groups, though they have physical eyes to see, their hearts are blind as fear, cowardice, prejudices, biases, and selfish interests make them blind.

Hence, we are reflecting upon two kinds of blindness: physical and spiritual blindness.

This Lenten season is a season of light that our blindness can be cured, healed, and renewed. Perhaps in one way or another, we are blind like the apostles, Pharisees, and neighbours of the blind man. Let us pray to Jesus to heal our blindness: "Lord, I want to see."