Nowadays seeing a blind person is not a big deal. We’ve become accustomed to seeing a white cane, or even Braille signs in the elevator, and rarely would anyone connect it with sin. But not so in Jesus’ time.

The gospel this weekend (Jn 9:1-41) about the man born blind begins with a question about whose sin (his or his parent’s) was responsible for the blindness … Jesus not only delves into the answer, but also heals him! Yet the bigger problem was the blindness of everyone else who witnessed the miracle. Jesus’ play on words about sight and blindness brings into sharp focus our own inability to see ourselves clearly — a condition brought on by our own sinfulness. We can fool ourselves into justifying all kinds of craziness in our lives: “It’s not a big deal!” “As long as I’m not hurting anyone else!” “It’s my decision/body/life!” The further from the truth we get, the worse our vision for life becomes. Then all of a sudden, something happens that forces us to see what we’ve been avoiding all along.

During this Lenten season, it’s a good time to “look at” our lives, to examine our patterns of living and thinking and speaking – a kind of spiritual “eye exam.” Seeing IS believing!

Have a great week! ~

Padre