Reflections on the Liturgy
Learning to See
John 9
I’m inching my way towards cataract surgery. I have a lot of faith in that surgery—I literally want to see more clearly. It’s harder and harder to see the page with its extremely small and dark words on it. That said, not seeing well helps me understand the blind man in today’s gospel better.
Jesus’s healing of the blind man is a physical, concrete act--a miracle. In addition, it also offers a lot about spiritual seeing.
The disciples didn’t understand what was happening when this man could suddenly see after a mud treatment. They wanted to blame someone because they couldn’t grasp the miracle. In such a way, we, contemporary gospel readers, can sense that the Pharisees spiritual sight is out of whack. To them, the blind man or his family had done something wrong.
In John 9:3, however, Jesus clarifies that sin did not cause this man’s blindness. Some today still attribute human differences (mentally, physically, psychologically) to be caused by sin. We live in a world that is complex, full of good and bad actions, and it’s easy to tend towards judgment, not grace. John 9 teaches us to challenge our thinking when we make easy assumptions about other people. Everyone who heard this story saw the same man healed (or saw evidence of it) but most could not recognize the work of God.
As I am experiencing physical loss of sight, I am aware that I, like the disciples, don’t see the deeper truths in life, particularly my life. Last year I had a disagreement with a friend. I was sure she was completely wrong. I realized that she had a perspective I had not allowed myself “to see.” We are no longer close friends, partially because I could not see beyond my own “blindness.” Often, it’s in darkness that we begin to see. In this case, I could see that I had misunderstood her point of view.
It's challenging for us to see our own blindness, but easy to see another’s. The same goes for groups—it’s easier to see the prejudices of others and remain blind to our own biases.
Sometimes my worldview needs to shift a little so that I cannot be blind to another person’s life, story, or perspective.
I am acutely aware of how challenging it is to see, literally, what I once took for granted. I pray that in my spiritual life, I will begin to “see” more fully. When Jesus told this parable, his listeners could not truly see him. May we be different—may we see through the lens of faith, trusting in God’s redemptive love.