Blind can see

Fourth Sunday of Lent A
March 1-2, 2008

(DRAFT )

Healing of the Blind Man

Highschool class discussion
If you would have one disability what would you choose?
It’s alright to be deaf;
Somehow it’s ok mute; limp; lose one leg; arm
To be blind? To loose sight it’s like leaving in a dark hole; Imagine you cannot the colour of a flowers; the change of season; the face of your loved ones.
It doesn’t only restricts your mobility but you seem to live in your own world; it’s not easy…
Imagine yourself being blind – close you eyes for a minute. How blessed we are that we can see.

Sri Lankan
- met at St Peters parish 4 years ago...
She prays not for herself but for world, for the poor, young people and her children and grandchildren. I never heard her praying for her own needs. Her physical eyes were blind but her heart has clear vision of the needs of the people.

Physical blindness
Spiritual blindness
People who can see yet they cannot see what is essential.
Some people pretend to be blind or not seeing things because they don’t what to see the reality. (Mother pretending not seeing the jocks and socks scattered in the house; Cat during Mass; beggars in the streets)

Some people cannot see the goodness of their loved ones. Those who do not appreciate good things in life – those who cannot appreciate smile; laughter; friendship

We are spiritually blind when we cannot see the needs of other people. (In the train pregnant woman without seat; elderly person crossing the road)

We are spiritually blind when we pretend not to see evil/harmful things in our lives. When we tolerate one’s inclination to sins. When we pretend not seeing sinfulness happening inside or around us.

The highest level of spiritual blindness – we cannot see Jesus as the light of our life.


Pharisees are spiritually blind
They witnessed before their eyes the miracle that happened to a man born blind yet their “eyes of faith” are closed; they were blind to it. They met Jesus, without really meeting him. They heard Jesus and they saw him, but they neither saw nor heard the salvation that Jesus brings. Why? Because if they admitted the truth that Jesus is God – Messiah - they were afraid that they would lose their seat of power and their influence.

Their pride is the one that is covering the eyes of their faith – which makes them “spiritually blind”.

Spiritual blindness is worst than being physically blind. When people are spiritually blind they do not believe in Jesus or obey him. But when people trust in Jesus to save them, they are given "spiritual eyes" to see God’s will for their lives. When our “eyes of our faith” is open we are able to see and understand the goodness of God; the beauty of the world; the grandeur of being human; that other people do not see and understand.

Jesus is the light
When Jesus healed the blind man in the Gospel. Jesus brought both physical and spiritual healing.

When the former blind man believed that Jesus is the Lord his vision goes beyond seeing. He faith able to see Jesus as the Light that shun the darkness of sin. The Light that illumines the humanity and the whole world. In Jesus, he found a much important security in life more than having clear vision eyes.

Jesus is ever ready to heal us and to free us from the darkness of sin and deception. There is no sickness, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual that the Lord Jesus cannot heal.

The Lord offers us freedom from spiritual blindness due to sin and he restores us to wholeness of body, mind, soul, and heart.

We ask our Lord in this Eucharist to touch and open our eyes to the deeper and beautiful realities of our faith.

Let's rejoice today that Christ is the Light of the World. We cannot remain in the darkness of sin; miseries and anxiety. We have Jesus who can take us out of the darkness of our sins and even our dark past.

He is the our Saviour, Healer and our Light.


"Jesus, in your name the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead are raised to life. Come into our lives and heal the wounds of our broken hearts. Give us eyes of faith to see your glory and hearts of courage to bring you glory in all we say and do."