The Gospel from today is one that we have probably heard hundreds of times in our lives and, because of that, it’s easy for us to just gloss over it. But, at the same time, it’s one that I think is important for us to remember. The story of the man born blind really almost unfolds like a spiritual biography. At the beginning of this passage, the blind man doesn’t fully understand who Jesus is. He simply refers to Him as “the man called Jesus.” All he knows is that this dude came along, spit in the dirt, put mud on his eyes, told him to go wash, and suddenly he could see. But what makes this story fascinating is that we see the blind man’s understanding of Jesus grow as we journey through this whole situation with him.
When the man’s neighbors start to question him about this encounter, he sticks to the simple facts. When the Pharisees interrogate him, he goes a little bit deeper and says that Jesus has to be some kind of prophet. Later, as the questioning becomes more intense, he begins to defend Jesus and even gives a little jab to the Pharisees, almost mocking them by asking if they wanted to become one of Jesus’ disciples. And then finally, at the very end of the story, when Jesus finds this man again, the man recognizes Him as the Son of God and his response is one of worship. What this shows us is that the blind man’s sight isn’t the only thing that develops in this story; his faith does too. That’s often how faith works in real life.
Most of us don’t come to a deep sense of faith all at once, it doesn’t happen in a flash. It unfolds slowly, through experiences, through questions, through struggles, and through moments when the Lord opens our eyes in ways we don’t expect. The man born blind begins with a very limited understanding of who Jesus is and what He was sent to accomplish. But the important part of this story that we all need to remember is that this man stays open and receptive to what is happening, he keeps responding honestly to what God is doing in his life.
Now I think it is worth mentioning, yes, Jesus worked an incredible miracle in this man’s life. One moment he’s blind, the next he can see. That would have been overwhelming, emotional, unforgettable. It is an example of something extraordinary. But the reality is that the Lord doesn’t always work in these dramatic ways. Most of the time, in fact, He works much more quietly. Sometimes He draws us closer through small moments in prayer. Sometimes through a conversation with another person. Sometimes through a difficulty that forces us to rely on Him a little bit more. God certainly can act in powerful and dramatic ways, but very often He chooses to lead us gradually, gently opening our eyes little by little.
That’s exactly why the Church gives us the Season of Lent. Lent is meant to be a season of deeper sight, where we learn to rely on the Lord a bit more and allow Him to guide us into growing in our faith and relationship with Him. It’s a season where He opens our eyes a little more. Maybe we begin to recognize a sin that we’ve been ignoring. Maybe we become more attentive in prayer. Maybe we start to see God working in places where we never noticed Him before. Faith grows when we allow Christ to keep opening our eyes.
But this Gospel also gives us somewhat of a contrast…it presents the Blind Man in opposition to the Pharisees. The religious leaders in the story think they already see clearly. They’re convinced that they already understand everything there is to know about who God is and what He can do in the world. And because of that rigidity, they don’t recognize what God is doing right in front of them. The irony is striking. The man who was blind begins to see more and more clearly; and yet the people who insist they see perfectly become the ones who are truly blind.
That should make us reflect on our own hearts. Where am I on that journey? Am I still at the point where Jesus is just someone I know about? Or is my faith growing deeper? Am I allowing the Lord to open my eyes in new ways through prayer, through Scripture, through the sacraments? Or am I staying stuck in rigidity, thinking that I know how the Lord works best in my life?
The man in the Gospel didn’t have everything figured out at the beginning. But he was willing to keep moving forward. That’s the difference! Step by step, his vision became clearer until he could finally see the Lord standing before him and that changed his life more than the initial healing. That is the same journey Jesus is inviting us to make. Are we willing to let the Lord open our eyes and lead us to true and lasting transformation?
Photo: Blindness, Payton Tuttle. Used under Unsplash license.
Fr. Tom Pringle 