Gospel Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2017

March 26th – Seeing and Believing

For those of us lucky and blest enough to have our sight, we can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to live in a world of blindness and total darkness.

At the time of Jesus, to be sick in any way was seen as a punishment from God. Those who were sick; the blind, the crippled, the dumb, the lepers and many others were seen as the worst of sinners. They were not allowed to eat with others and they were kept out of the Temple and the synagogues by the Pharisees. They were outsiders and were made to feel worthless.

But as usual, Jesus does not let this stop him from speaking to and touching this blind man. Jesus reaches out to heal this man and to make him whole again. He not only gives him back his sight, he restores his dignity and allows him to return to his community and family.

The blindness that Jesus cannot heal however is the narrow mindedness, jealousy and anger of the Pharisees who refuse to let go of their dislike for Jesus. They claim that Jesus cannot be from God because he does keep the Sabbath and that a sinner like Jesus could not produce signs such as healing the sick. Their eyes are closed and blind to seeing Jesus for who he really is.

This gospel challenges us to look honestly at ourselves, our attitudes and our own behaviour. Often we are very quick to see the faults, failings and shortcomings of other people. But generally we are not so quick to notice and admit our own weaknesses. In some ways, each of us is blind. Our own prejudices about other people may prevent us from seeing them as they really are. We can sometimes make quick, but wrong decisions about others. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus warns of this with these words, ’Why do you see the splinter in your neighbours eye, and never the one in your own eye. Take the splinter out of your own eye first and you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your neighbours.’ We need to avoid the behaviour and attitude of the Pharisees who often judged people incorrectly.

Jesus wants to heal us of all that blinds us and that prevents us from seeing at all levels. When we are blind, we cannot see the light that Jesus not only offers, but the light that Jesus is! He is the light of the world, but if our hearts and eyes are closed to this light, we are living darkness. When Jesus asked another blind man, Bartimaeus what he wanted, his honest and heartfelt prayer was, ‘Lord, let me see gain.’ May this be our prayer too as we continue our journey through Lent.

• Michael Moore OMI