Here is the text of the reflection I shared with the people gathered in prayer this weekend, a reflection on the faith lessons learned from a man who was born blind, but whose sight was restored.
As we continue our pilgrimage through Lent, the gospel we have heard today places us with Jesus who was walking along the road. As he walked along, he saw a man who was blind from birth. Whenever the scriptures speak of Jesus seeing someone, we need to understand that this is a reference to an encounter, much more than merely glancing around. Like the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well, this man who had been blind from birth was about to receive a precious gift. The popular belief of the time was that human frailty was inflicted because either the person in question or someone close to him had committed some kind of serious sin, but when Jesus was questioned about this, he pointed out that this man’s blindness was not inflicted upon him, but rather given as a preparation for something wonderful: so that God’s works might be revealed in him.
Each one of us here has some kind of limitation, some reminder of our human frailty. Sometimes our limitations can even be perceived as burdens, and we might find ourselves wishing and hoping that they would be taken away from us, dreaming about the day when we will once again be made whole, strong, returned to full health. How often we see illness as a limitation rather than as an opportunity for us to perceive God’s work in progress! Jesus is always with us, walking beside us as we make our pilgrimage through life. He pays particular attention to us when we ourselves are weakened by challenges of all sorts. Just as he made a point of looking at the man who was born blind, he also makes a point of noticing us in our frailty, and he comes quickly to our help.
Jesus spread mud on the eyes of the man who was blind, and asked him to go, and wash in the pool of Siloam. Everyone knew the pool of Siloam, located just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was perhaps used for ritual bathing, for purifying oneself in preparation for entering the Temple in order to offer sacrifice. Jesus would have known this custom, so perhaps this is the reason why he asked the man to wash himself there. As the man performed this simple but deeply ritualistic act, his sight was restored. What significance does this ritual have for us today? We believe that the Sacrament of Baptism allows us all to be washed clean of our sins, to be made ritually clean again. The act of pouring water over the head of a child or an adult is not a complicated affair, yet by doing so, the gift of faith is planted in the heart of the one who is baptized.
In the case of the man born blind, this simple act restored his physical sight, but the miracle that was performed was also meant as a sign for those who witnessed it: an invitation for them to come to believe that there is another kind of sight. The book of Samuel reminds us today that the Lord looks on the heart. Jesus knows the deepest longings of our hearts and yearns for the opportunity to satisfy our desires.
There’s another significance to the fact that Jesus asks the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The word Siloam means sent. Once his sight had been restored, the man was sent to his neighbours and to those who had known him before so that he could bear witness to the good that he had experienced. The same is true for us: if we have been privileged enough to have encountered Jesus, or to have discovered the joy of the gospel, Jesus sends us out to those in our world too, asking us to share the good news we have experienced with those we meet. It isn’t always easy to be a disciple, to convince others about the truth of our faith encounters. Even the man in today’s gospel was tested, questioned by his friends, brought before the Pharisees and put to the test there too. When he was questioned about Jesus, the man courageously witnessed to what he had come to know: He is a prophet!
As he began to tell others about his encounter with the man who had restored his sight, Jesus’ newest disciple was also tested. Even the Pharisees refused to believe him, challenging his presumption to teach the teachers. They even drove him out of the Temple. Are we willing to face the possibility of being challenged, even driven out of certain circles or groups of people merely because we dare to share the joy of the gospel, or do we allow our fear of abandonment to silence us when we know that we should speak?
The gospel tells us that Jesus heard about the man’s plight, and came looking for him. The same is true for us. In the moments when we are afraid or cast out or persecuted, Jesus comes looking for us, and when he finds us, he asks us the same question he asked of the man whose sight had been restored: Do you believe in the Son of Man? This is the test that Jesus repeats with us every time we are cast out, every time we sin, every time we turn back to him: Do you believe in the Son of Man? The true miracle revealed for all of us in this story is the fact that even though we once were in darkness, even though we are still tempted to sin, the Lord enlightens our path and guides us back to himself. He calls us all to live as children of the light so that every day of our lives, we might recognize in him all that is good and right and true. Jesus walks the pilgrimage of life with us, right alongside us. He willingly removes from our path all the obstacles that might blind us to his presence, he speaks with us in prayer and calls us to believe in him. All he asks in return is that we respond with three simple words: Lord, I believe.
From blindness to sight
Each one of us here has some kind of limitation, some reminder of our human frailty. Sometimes our limitations can even be perceived as burdens, and we might find ourselves wishing and hoping that they would be taken away from us, dreaming about the day when we will once again be made whole, strong, returned to full health. How often we see illness as a limitation rather than as an opportunity for us to perceive God’s work in progress! Jesus is always with us, walking beside us as we make our pilgrimage through life. He pays particular attention to us when we ourselves are weakened by challenges of all sorts. Just as he made a point of looking at the man who was born blind, he also makes a point of noticing us in our frailty, and he comes quickly to our help.
Jesus spread mud on the eyes of the man who was blind, and asked him to go, and wash in the pool of Siloam. Everyone knew the pool of Siloam, located just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was perhaps used for ritual bathing, for purifying oneself in preparation for entering the Temple in order to offer sacrifice. Jesus would have known this custom, so perhaps this is the reason why he asked the man to wash himself there. As the man performed this simple but deeply ritualistic act, his sight was restored. What significance does this ritual have for us today? We believe that the Sacrament of Baptism allows us all to be washed clean of our sins, to be made ritually clean again. The act of pouring water over the head of a child or an adult is not a complicated affair, yet by doing so, the gift of faith is planted in the heart of the one who is baptized.
In the case of the man born blind, this simple act restored his physical sight, but the miracle that was performed was also meant as a sign for those who witnessed it: an invitation for them to come to believe that there is another kind of sight. The book of Samuel reminds us today that the Lord looks on the heart. Jesus knows the deepest longings of our hearts and yearns for the opportunity to satisfy our desires.
There’s another significance to the fact that Jesus asks the man to wash in the pool of Siloam. The word Siloam means sent. Once his sight had been restored, the man was sent to his neighbours and to those who had known him before so that he could bear witness to the good that he had experienced. The same is true for us: if we have been privileged enough to have encountered Jesus, or to have discovered the joy of the gospel, Jesus sends us out to those in our world too, asking us to share the good news we have experienced with those we meet. It isn’t always easy to be a disciple, to convince others about the truth of our faith encounters. Even the man in today’s gospel was tested, questioned by his friends, brought before the Pharisees and put to the test there too. When he was questioned about Jesus, the man courageously witnessed to what he had come to know: He is a prophet!
As he began to tell others about his encounter with the man who had restored his sight, Jesus’ newest disciple was also tested. Even the Pharisees refused to believe him, challenging his presumption to teach the teachers. They even drove him out of the Temple. Are we willing to face the possibility of being challenged, even driven out of certain circles or groups of people merely because we dare to share the joy of the gospel, or do we allow our fear of abandonment to silence us when we know that we should speak?
The gospel tells us that Jesus heard about the man’s plight, and came looking for him. The same is true for us. In the moments when we are afraid or cast out or persecuted, Jesus comes looking for us, and when he finds us, he asks us the same question he asked of the man whose sight had been restored: Do you believe in the Son of Man? This is the test that Jesus repeats with us every time we are cast out, every time we sin, every time we turn back to him: Do you believe in the Son of Man? The true miracle revealed for all of us in this story is the fact that even though we once were in darkness, even though we are still tempted to sin, the Lord enlightens our path and guides us back to himself. He calls us all to live as children of the light so that every day of our lives, we might recognize in him all that is good and right and true. Jesus walks the pilgrimage of life with us, right alongside us. He willingly removes from our path all the obstacles that might blind us to his presence, he speaks with us in prayer and calls us to believe in him. All he asks in return is that we respond with three simple words: Lord, I believe.
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