'Twas Blind But Now I See!

 

Deacon Dave · 'Twas Blind But Now I See

Homily for the 4th Sunday in Lent (Laetare Sunday), March 19, 2023. Gospel of St. John 9:1-41. Theme: ‘Twas Blind But Now I See! 

Last Sunday St. John took us to Samaria to learn about thirsting for God’s. In today’s Gospel he takes us south of Samaria, to the holy city of Jerusalem, where he will teach us about spiritual blindness and coming to know Jesus in stages. He will show us that our understanding of who Jesus is deepens each time that we give witness to Him. St. John will bring us from Sight to Insight to Faith. 

At first the Man Born Blind is simply going by Sight and describes Jesus as “that man”. He says that he was healed by “that man called Jesus”, and he reports on his healing in a short and simple re-telling of the events: “he put mud on my eyes, told me to wash and now I can see.” His understanding of Jesus is very basic and incomplete. Is this where we are at in our own personal understanding of Jesus? Are we at this basic “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” level? Perhaps we know the basic facts about Christ from Bible stories, but is that pretty much the extent of our knowledge and faith-relationship with him? Are we looking at Him only with ordinary Sight, much the same way we would think about the admirable hero of history? 

Then the Man Born Blind is brought before the Jewish leaders and for the first time he faces social pressure and rejection for his association with Jesus. He has to make a conscious choice to stand up for Christ and this leads him to look deeper and he somehow begins to see his Healer as more than just an ordinary man. He now says about Jesus, “He is a prophet…he is devout…he does God’s will…God is with him!” He is progressing from Sight to Insight, the light is getting a bit brighter but there’s still some cloudiness in his spiritual vision of Christ. Does this level describe our relationship with and understanding of Jesus? Have we gone from Sight to Insight, realizing that He radiates the Power and Presence of God? Can we see that He may be more than just that, but that He just might be God come among us in the flesh? 

Finally, the Man Born Blind goes from Insight to Faith. As a blessing for his courage to stand up for Christ, he receives the gift of faith and comes to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God and Savior. His faith and his loyalty are under pressure and persecution has cost him something, but in return Jesus Himself seeks the man out for a deeper personal encounter. The light is shining so brilliantly now that the Man Born Blind now exclaims, “I do believe, Lord!” and he worships Jesus right then and there. His spiritual journey, reflected in his physical healing, has brought him out of the darkness and into the light that gives eternal life. Have we reached this level of solid personal friendship with Jesus in our own lives? Have we decided once for all to become intentional disciples no matter what the cost? Are we willing to embrace life as authentic Christians and be done with half-baked, half-hearted attempts to have one foot in each world? 

Along with the Man Born Blind, St. John also wants us to learn a lesson from the Pharisee leaders. They saw the same Jesus that the Man Born Blind saw, but their spiritual blindness prevents them from seeing Him in the same way. I think that the Pharisees can stand for those today who find themselves in the presence of the divine but are totally unable to recognize it. I have encountered many who cannot let go of their “own truth” (as people like to say these days) in order to see the stark reality before them. Quite often such people declare that they have open minds and are tolerant of various ideas, but in reality their minds are quite closed and their vision extremely near-sighted. They reject the miraculous that is clear and present for them to see. 

For example, I have discussed with them that there is no explicable way that the photographic-negative image on the Shroud of Turin could have been made before the era of photography with totally accurate anatomy. And that scientists cannot discover or explain how that image remains for centuries on the Shroud without being integrated into its fibers. Yet they remain unmoved and spiritually blind. I have told them of x-rays that document missing body parts that were suddenly found to exist on a previously disabled person after emerging from the miraculous waters of Lourdes. Yet they still remain unmoved and spiritually blind. I have shared with them the laboratory findings of Eucharistic Hosts transformed into physical flesh and blood, confirmed as fact by scientists. Yet they still remain unmoved and spiritually blind like the Pharisees. 

But, you know, that really shouldn’t surprise me because facts cannot bring about an act of faith or restore spiritual vision. This can only be done by God alone. We have proof of this in today’s Gospel. A man has been blind his whole life long. Then Jesus comes along and suddenly he can see. Yet the Pharisees remain unmoved in their convictions and spiritually blind in their stubbornness of mind. St. John is telling us that what makes us come to real faith is experiencing the touch of Jesus Christ in our life, whatever that may look like and however we may need it. And when that happens then like the Man born Blind we will find ourselves saying, “I do believe” and we will fall down and worship the Lord.