John 9:1-41
The Gospel Reading retells the long and dramatic account of Jesus’ healing of a man born blind. Physical maladies are not the wrath of a scorned God. Because we live in the world of change, bad things sometime happen. Our perspective is very different from God’s. If we dared to spend more time healing instead of fighting, blindness itself might have been cured.
BLINDNESS TO SIGHT, SIGHT TO BLINDNESS
Today’s Gospel recounts the story of the man born blind whose sight Jesus heals (John 9:1-41). In contrast, there is a certain group of people who move in the opposite direction going from having sight to becoming blind.
In this way, the Gospel dramatically presents two very different types of people. First, there are those who find their way safely due to heeding God’s perspective. Second, there are others who are unable to find their way because of their spiritual blindness. Jesus leaves it up to us to choose the group to which we will belong.
Whoever recognizes that their sight (read: faith) is due to God eventually enters into the light.
Whoever claims to see and believe on account of their own authority without owing anything to God (read: no faith) already is blind.
There is no one as blind as someone who refuses to see.
The Gospel writer John masterfully portrays the man born blind as an authentic disciple. Though this character is physically impaired, he is able to see clearly by means of divine light. The light of faith illumines his way. Meanwhile many around him who are able to see physically are blind to the real Light of the World. They are lost.
So then, by whose light are you finding your way?
