Our Trouble with Eyesight

A gospel reading from the evangelist John in a recent Catholic liturgy presented a story that is among my favorites because the characters are so relatable.

Jesus and his disciples come across a man born blind and his disciples ask Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” The question reflects what many people believe today: that bad things happen to people who sin and therefore, God uses adversity to punish us.

Neither have sinned, answers Jesus, and in this case, the man’s blindness was to make us aware of God’s power to heal. And so, Jesus cures the man, even though it was the Sabbath, a day of the week when no “work” was allowed.

Unusually Detailed

There follows this unusually detailed story about the man, and subsequently his parents, appearing before the Pharisees – Jewish authorities known for their strict observance of the Law of Moses. It’s a long story, so I’ll try to synthesize it as much as possible.

Jesus tells the unnamed man to go and wash in a pool in Jerusalem called “Siloam,” which Scripture scholars believe to have been used for ritual bathing. There, he is cured of his blindness. His neighbors and others soon notice that the man could now see and ask the man about it. He tells them the story about how “the man called Jesus” cured him.

These people take the formerly blind man to a gathering of the Pharisees who harshly question him about the cure and suggest that Jesus could not be “from God for he does not keep the Sabbath.” An argument among them follows, with some backing Jesus.

But since the Pharisees are not convinced that this man was born blind, they call in the man’s parents, who only verify that the man was born blind, saying they know nothing about how he was cured. “Ask him,” they say courageously. “He is of age; he will speak for himself.”

Now clearly indignant, the Pharisees call the man back, telling him they know the person who allegedly cured him is a sinner. He argues with them, which only increases their rage. They throw him out.

Jesus finds him, and in a dialogue, the man now professes belief in “the son of Man,” a title that had come to signify “Messiah.”

So, what are we who are searching for God to make of all this?

Jesus himself tells us in this gospel story. “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”

First, that the bad things that happen to us aren’t punishments from God. But beyond that, that the person who has sight strives to love God and neighbor, seeing as neighbor everyone who is poor, sick, in prison, and in need – basically all of us – as sons and daughters of God.

Blind to the Needs of Others

The “blind” are those who fail to seek God, whether believers or not, and fail to follow their consciences. They are blind to the needs of others, making themselves the center of life. They are also hostile or indifferent to the suffering of others, adopting an attitude that blames others for their misfortunes.

Sister Mary McGlone, in a recent issue of the National Catholic Reporter, writes that in this world of darkness and light, those who attempt to live in the light of Christ “must choose where to direct our attention and thus our hearts.

“If we concentrate on evil, we’ll discover it all around – and probably end up depressed and/or afraid. When we seek God’s light, we can master new, loving and joy-filled ways of seeing. It will be much more fun and bring us more grace than the other option!”