Sight to the Blind, Light for those in Darkness
Dear Christ the King Family,
On this Laetare Sunday midway through Lent, we hear about one man’s encounter with Jesus, and the way his life was entirely changed through the Lord’s healing of his congenital blindness. The images of blindness and sight, light and darkness feature prominently in the conversations that take place around this miraculous healing. At the outset, Jesus’ disciples assume a connection between the man’s blindness and human sin. They ask the Lord whether his sin or that of his parents are to blame for his pitiable condition. Jesus denies this sort of connection between human sin and blindness, but nonetheless, there is some connection to be made, as blindness serves as a metaphor for sin throughout this story.
It is sin which causes a kind of spiritual blindness—not in the man born blind, but in the Pharisees and those who doubt Jesus and reject him. Jesus is the “light of the world,” yet some actively try to turn away from this light, so as to remain in the darkness of their own ways, so as not to be challenged to change their outlook and see God working in new and unexpected ways. As they question the man intensely and even drag his parents into the discussion, they are looking for whatever excuse they can to dismiss him, and to write Jesus off as well—stubborn in their view that this wandering rabbi who heals on the Sabbath could not be a man of God. The healed man speaks plainly about what Jesus has done for him and stands his ground, but in the end, they throw him out of the synagogue, unable to offer a rational rebuttal to his testimony but not wanting to hear what he has to say.
Just two weeks ago, I got to be a part of our parish’s “Light of the World” retreat. About 20 Christ the King parishioners and visitors took the risk of giving up a full weekend of their time, plus a Monday night, to allow themselves to encounter Christ in a deeper way. It was the third time our parish has offered this retreat in the past two years, but the first time that the entire retreat team was composed of fellow Christ the King parishioners who have made the retreat previously. These team members were like the man born blind: sent forth from their own encounter with the Lord, to give testimony so that the works of God might be made visible through them. And it was beautiful to see God’s Holy Spirit at work over the course of these 3 days in those experiencing the retreat for the first time. Thanks be to God, they came as a much more receptive audience than the Pharisees had been for the man born blind!
As we continue our Lenten journey, it’s worth asking: How receptive are we to the ways in which God is calling us to ongoing conversion and transformation? Do we allow him to shine a light on our spiritual blind spots, so to speak? Do we open our hearts to see the Lord at work in unexpected places and through unexpected people? Or do we remain stuck in our ways, stubbornly resistant to the change and spiritual growth that Jesus is trying to draw forth from us? We still have three weeks left, friends. It’s not too late to take off our blinders and allow Christ to open our eyes!
Fr. Cameron Cortens, C.S.C.
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