Reflection on the Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 30, 2014 Sight and Blindness

I went to the 5:00 Mass last night, and when the deacon was reading the Gospel, I thought it would never end.  It was a long one!  I couldn't help but think, as I listened to the many posturings and objections and projections assumptions and presumptions about the man's guilt for being blind, or his parents' guilt, or lack thereof, of Matthew 11:17 or Luke 7:30.

What comparison can I find for this generation?  It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place:  We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;  we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. (Matt)  We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;  we sang a dirge, and you did not cry. (Luke)

Within the religious community of that time, some believed that physical maladies were the result of sin, and so felt justified in condemning the people suffering from physical ailments, making themselves spiritual judges of the infirm.  It is a normal initial human reaction of the spiritually-minded to attempt to reconcile the presence of things of which we are afraid or don't understand with our religious beliefs, and these pharisees and their followers were trying to make sense of the imperfections in the world through a religious lens which was colored by a firm belief that someone had to be blamed for the man's blindness.  So no matter what anyone said, they were focused on finding someone to call a sinner.  How much better it would have been to be involved in helping that man in his predicament to live well in his circumstances.  It is admirable to see those in the world today who are given the gift of giving sight to the blind through medical means, or assistance such as guide dogs and other aids.

When I see something wrong in the world, do I feel that someone has to be blamed and deserves consequences?  Or do I look for solutions that will be good for everybody involved?  Jesus healed the man's blindness in a miraculous way.  When I open my eyes to solutions instead of driving down the road and getting stuck in the ditch of blaming sin for everything that happens in my life or in other people's lives, I too might find my eyes opened to the healing presence of Jesus.  Yes, sin does cause problems, talk about stating the obvious, but staring at sin all the time can be bad for our spiritual eyes.  It is said that you gaze most upon that which you love.  Gaze at Jesus and let him heal our sight.

Blessings In Christ,
Gazelle