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WHO
IS BLIND, AND WHO REALLY SEES?
It is one thing to claim to be Christians, but it is
another thing to really be Christians. It is one thing to claim to live in the
light, but it is another thing actually to experience living in the light.
Today’s readings are all talking about the contrast of either living in the
light or in the darkness.
The first reading from the first book of Samuel
demonstrates the fact that if we have not received the true light, we can behave
as if we see and yet we are still blind. Even our judgments will be influenced
by our blindness. But if we have received the true light from God, then even our
judgments will be made in that light.
St.
Paul tells us in the
second reading, from the letter to the Ephesians, that we should not have
anything to do with the ways of darkness, but we should be willing to walk in
the light of the Lord. One important
place to find this light of the Lord is in the Scripture.
Not only in our Churches but in our homes and in our small Christian
communities, we should let this light of the Lord shine through intelligent and
prayerful reading of and reflection on the Scripture.
The very dramatic episode of the Gospel of John tells us
more about the theme of being blind and receiving sight. It is a story of a
blind man who truly never saw the light since his birth and then he is given the
sight by Jesus, the Light of the World.
At last he is able to see the light. Ironically it is also a story of
some people who claim to have the light but really are as blind as can be and
continue to walk in the darkness. For
the blind man, coming to see is made possible by his believing encounter with
Jesus. But some of the Pharisees who claim already to see actually are blind,
because they refuse a believing encounter with Jesus.
There are two journeys in today’s gospel and they have
both come to an end. The first journey is that of the blind man, who after
receiving his sight, is questioned by the Pharisees and friends and even
abandoned by his parents “for fear of the Jews.”
But this blind man becomes the one who teaches the others about the truth
about Christ, “If this man was not from God he would not do what he has
done”, he is “the Son of Man”; “the prophet” whom I now believe and
worship.” It is truly a journey into the fullness of sight that has come to an
end.
On the other hand is the journey of the “all knowing”,
the custodians of the traditional faith, the ones who should really be leading
the people to the true light. These
are the Pharisees. In their quest for understanding the miracle of a cure of a
blind man, they are sharply divided about whether it occurred or how it could
have occurred. These were people who
claimed to have the knowledge and the authority to teach the truth about God,
but have fallen into blindness by their stubbornness to recognise Jesus. Their
journey from sight to blindness has come to an end.
What about us? What are the lessons that these powerful
scripture passages of today have for us in this Lenten season? Lent surely is an
invitation for us to see whether we are walking in the light or in the darkness.
Have we worked to make our faith more mature and intelligent?
For example, do we read any books or articles about our Catholic faith?
Do we discuss deeper things in our small Christian communities, like the
sacraments or the pastoral letters of our Bishops?
Are we willing to accept the insights and faith reflections of our fellow
members in the small Christian communities?
Do we ever pray like the blind in the Gospels did: “Lord, that I may
see!” so that we can grow into the fuller light of our faith?
But it isn’t only in matters of faith that we need light.
We also need true light to overcome blindness in many other ways. As
parents, do we see the needs of our children, struggling to grow up as good
people in the midst of many temptations? As
children, do we see the worries of our parents and the ways that they try to
show their love for us? As workers,
do we see the problems that Zambia
faces and how we can respond honestly to them?
As employers, do we see the difficulties that our workers have to get
wages to meet the monthly “Basic Needs Basket”?
As government officials and high-ranking politicians, do we really see
the sufferings of so many Zambians today and our responsibilities to do
something about that?
So as we move towards Easter in a few weeks, when Jesus,
the Light of the World, will rise from the dead, let us ask ourselves this week
in our small Christian communities some questions like this:
- Do
I ever experience blindness and what is it that opens up my eyes to really
see?
- Do
I really see and appreciate the good works of my fellow workmates, community
members and family members? Or
am I sometimes blinded by prejudice?
- Am
I willing to let go my own views or do I sometimes confuse my views with
true knowledge?
This Lent, let us often pray:
“Lord that I may see! Open
my eyes!”
SKETCH
A mad woman comes to the priest just at the beginning of
mass when a priest is leaving the sacristy to the altar and says, “Father, may
you give me one thousand kwacha?” The priest in his holy frame of mind shouts
at the woman, “Get away from the Church, don’t you know that we are about to
start worshipping God?” The woman looks at the priest and replies, “Father,
do you think if you were mad like me anybody would recommend you to be a
priest?” The priest expresses his shock to hear a mad woman’ words and he
goes back to the sacristy and feels so unworthy of presiding over mass.
COMMUNITY PRAYERS.
- God,
help us to be sensitive to the people’s needs around us. Let us pray to
the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
- God,
for the many times that we have turned away people on prejudice, we humbly
ask for mercy. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
- God,
teach us to remove the log that is in our eyes so that we could be able to
see what you desire of us. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer.
[Jesuit
Centre for Theological Reflection, P.O. Box 37774, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia]
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