“GENEROUS LENT 2017”
Lenten Reflections
Sunday, 26th March 2017.
Fourth Week of Lent
1Sam 16: 1, 6-7,10-13;
Ps 23: 1-6;
Eph 5:8-14;
Jn 9: 1-41.
HEALED OF BLINDNESS
There lived a blind man in a remote village. Every evening he used to carry a lamp in his hand while crossing the dark forest towards his home. One day a passerby who used to see this blind man asked him a question, “Sir, you are blind; then why do you carry a lamp in your hand?” for this the blind man replied “this lamp is not for me but for you that you to see and not run into me”.
In life, healthy eyes don’t see all. We can see some things; others elude us. The scientific knowledge that allows us to examine, monitor, quantify everything that is material, and make us curious, thrilled and believe that only what can be seen with the eyes, observed with the senses, checked with the laboratory instruments is true. There is also the other blindness, that is based on the scales of the world: money, success, career, sexuality, health and sickness, youth and old age, etc., But the presumption of having good sight has blurred the interior and spiritual sight that allows us to glimpse into the mysteries of God, the meaning of life and death, and the ultimate fate of human history.
“The true light that enlightens everyone came into the world” (Jn 1:9). Christ came to dispel our darkness, to illuminate our nights, to usher in the family of the “children of light and children of the day” (1 Thes 5:5).Today, we are called to look at our spiritual blindness. We are called to overcome by opening our Spiritual Eyes.
In the First Reading, we see that King Saul disobeyed God. Against God’s command, Saul kept the Amalekite King alive and kept to himself bounty of the war. God thus rejects Saul and sends Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint the King whom He will show. Samuel goes to the house of Jesse and after seeing the elder son who was strong, handsome, tall in stature. Samuel thought this is the God’s anointed, but he hears the voice of the lord “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the lord looks at the heart”. Samuel is shown David and he anoints the last son of Jesse who was tending the sheep. Human beings have lot of prejudices in mind, because of this prejudices they are not able to come to make a real conclusion.
“Blindness” is our inability to see the hand of God at work all around us. We struggle to see the daily miracles of God’s grace alive in our lives and alive in the lives of others. So the first thing we should do with today’s Gospel, is strive to see our lack of sight. We should strive to realize that we so often do not see God at work. This realization will inspire us to desire a spiritual healing. The good news is obviously that Jesus cured this man, as He willingly cures us. To restore sight is easy for Jesus. So the first prayer we should pray as a result of this story is simply, “Lord, I want to see!” The humble realization of our blindness will invite God’s grace to work. And if we do not humbly acknowledge our blindness, we will not be in a position to seek healing.
He used His own spit to make mud and smear it on this man’s eyes, which seems appalling. But it does reveal the fact that Jesus can use something exceptionally ordinary as a source of His divine grace! Too often we look for God’s action in the extraordinary. But He so often is present to us in that which is ordinary. Perhaps we will be tempted to think that God only works His grace through heroic acts of love or sacrifice. Perhaps we are tempted to think that God is not able to use our daily ordinary activities to perform His miracles. But this is not true. It is precisely those ordinary actions of life where God is present. In fact, the more ordinary the activity, the more we should strive to see God at work. And when we do “see” Him at work in the ordinary activities of life, we will be healed of our spiritual blindness.
Prayer: Lord, I want to see. Help me to be healed of my blindness. Help me to see You at work in every ordinary activity of my life. Help me to see Your divine grace in the smallest events of my day. And as I see You alive and active, fill my heart with gratitude for this vision. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.