FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see

John 9:25

When Jesus met a man that was blind from birth he made a mixture of clay and salvia and put it on the blind man's eyes. Then he told the man to wash in the pool of Siloam, and when he did so, he was cured. The Pharisees were spiritually blind, and they accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath Law by healing the man. But the man knew that his healing had come from God, and he fell at Jesus' feet and acknowledged him as "Lord."

The sense of sight is one we can easily take for granted, yet, is one we would really miss if it were taken from us. Imagine how a blind person must feel if he or she receives sight. That gift would only be second to the gift of faith

Through the cure of a person born blind, John's gospel presents sight in a metaphorical sense. Sometimes a person can look, but not see. Here, the blind man received not only the ability to use his eyes but the gift to see the truth.

When Jesus cured the blind man, he gave him a choice to change, to chance to trust in God. Jesus invited the man to faith. Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him. We cannot obtain faith by our own efforts or merit. A faith in God comes from God; he initiates the faith relationship and every step in that relationship.

But faith always remains a choice we make. When we choose to trust in God and believe in what he reveals to us, we exercise our freedom. Our minds and wills freely cooperate with God's grace. Faith is not and can never be an act coerced by God or others

The man born blind gained true sight, simply because he was willing to be changed. Like the man born blind, we, too, must have open eyes and an open heart, a willingness to let God change us.

‘On Ya’ - ma