4th Sunday in Lent

Gospel – John 9:1-41

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

Blessing at Anointing Stone

Church of Holy Sepulchre

One evening, the whole family went out to dinner at a local restaurant.  Everyone got a menu, even the youngest, Aimee, who was 6 years old.  Since the conversation was an ‘adult’ one, Aimee sat there feeling ignored.  When the waitress took their orders, she came to Aimee last.

“And, what would you like to eat, young lady?” she asked.  Aimee answered, “I will have a hamburger, French fries and a large coke”.

“No”, said her mother.  “She will have a small salad with low fat dressing, baked chicken, carrots and boiled rice”.  “And milk to drink”, chimed in her father.

The waitress looked at Aimee and asked, “Would you like catsup or mustard on your hamburger”?  She said, “Catsup with some fried onions on top please.  Oh, and put a very small piece of lettuce on top to please my parents.  Thank you very much”.  Her parents sat there stunned!

As the waitress walked away to place the order, Aimee turned toward her family and said, “You know what?  She thinks I’m real”.

You have to feel for little Aimee; she must have felt completely invisible.  The world kept revolving and yet it was like she wasn’t even there!  Of course, for her, that was just one meal! 

For the blind man in today’s Gospel, that is what he had to deal with his entire life.  Ever since he was born blind, he was shunned, ignored, treated as an outcast and a sinner all his life.  Cut off from any social contact, he must have felt completely alone, completely invisible!  Until Jesus came into his life!

And after Jesus cures him, after his eyes are opened, he immediately spreads the Word – this man is from God, He is a prophet!  In spite of the Pharisees’ attempts to convince him otherwise, despite their attempts to deny he was ever blind, the man persists in his faith in Jesus as the Promised One, even to the point of debating with the elders!  Consider the effect that Jesus has on him!  That ‘former’ blind man is transformed! He believes Jesus is the Christ and he has the strength and courage to stand up to the Pharisees and scribes. 

The one person in the story who truly ‘sees’ Jesus is the man born blind.  And it’s the Pharisees who are truly blind!  They focus only on the externals and not the heart of the Law.  They remain blind to the miracle, blind to the power of God, blind to the needs and hardships of those around them. 

How often must the Pharisees have walked past the blind man day in and day out and treated him like he was invisible, ignored his pleas for a few coins or a crust of bread?  How often were they so focused on themselves that they blinded themselves to the suffering of the marginalized and the powerless right in front of their eyes.

How often can we say that about ourselves?  How often do we see what we want to see and not what we need to see?  We are all, in some ways, blind like the Pharisees; we miss the big picture!  

We stare straight ahead at a stoplight or when we are walking down the street, all to avoid eye contact with someone looking for a handout.  We turn a blind eye to a neighbor struggling to shovel snow off his sidewalk or to someone weighed down with grocery bags, or to someone sitting at a park bench quietly crying in sadness and despair.

Like the Pharisees, we can get so caught up in arguments and issues that we think are so important and we miss all opportunities for us to do good as well as appreciate the beauty that the Creator has bestowed on us – like a rainbow, the gift of family time, the gentle smile of a child, the touch of a loving hand, building a snowman with the grandkids or sharing a simple cup of coffee with a dear friend.

Open your eyes today.  See the wonders of the Creator that are all around you and show your gratitude by being a miracle to others!  That is our challenge –to recognize the presence of the Creator in our lives, to see, not merely with human eyes, but with eyes of faith and trust, to be filled  

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