Even as we have much cause to be concerned, we should look for levity, and even reasons for hope. Amid the distressing stories in the news this week, there was one hopeful one that caught my eye. Perhaps you saw it, too – the lieutenant governor of Washington state announced that he will not seek reelection to his office but instead will enter the Society of Jesus. Mr. Cyrus Habib has accomplished impressive things in his 38 years, especially considering the fact that he has been permanently blind since childhood as the result of cancer. But he feels a call to do something more, and that’s why he wants to be a Jesuit. He said, “I have come to believe that the best way to deepen my commitment to social justice is to reduce the complexity in my own life and dedicate it to serving others.”
That inspiring story came to mind again as I reflected upon today’s Gospel. The story is about another blind man, one who like that lieutenant governor was destined for greater things than his disability might suggest. In the ancient world, blindness wasn’t just a physical problem; it was a social one, even a spiritual one – a stigma that cut one off from respectable society. But as Jesus tells the disciples, the man’s blindness is not the result of his own sin or the sinfulness of his parents, but “so that the works of God might be made visible through him.” In other words, in God’s divine wisdom, he allowed that man to be born blind specifically so that Jesus could heal him in that moment. And by giving him sight, the Lord also took away the blindness of all those who came to believe in him.
Duccio di Buoninsegna, Jesus Healing the Man Born Blind (Maestà altarpiece) (1311)
The current moment presents us with a similar situation, if we have the spiritual eyes to see. Perhaps we feel as if we too have lost the use of one of our senses at this moment – we feel disoriented by all that’s happened and what may still happen, saddened to not be able to come to Mass, perhaps greatly troubled and even afraid by what we see on the news. There is a temptation to focus on what we have lost, on what we still might lose – to ask ourselves unanswerable questions like, “Why has God permitted this terrible thing to happen?” There is a real danger of doubting God, of losing sight of him in this crisis.
Or, as people of faith, we can resist giving into darkness and despair, and ask God to grant us new sight to see. If God allowed the blind man to be born with his malady in order for Jesus to heal him – and so make visible the power of God through him – then can you imagine what God might wish to do through us, in this moment? How powerful a witness our faith will be to the world if we don’t abandon it when things are difficult! In our homes, workplaces, and other permitted spaces, we may be separated physically from each other but we can be more united than ever spiritually – fervently pouring out our prayers to God. Now is the time for us to pray, and for you who are parents and grandparents to lead your families in prayer, to teach your children why our faith must be our most precious possession, especially in times like this.
How great an opportunity we also have to make “visible” the charity we say we have for each other, by utilizing our time now to help our neighbors in need, by reaching out to those who are sick and suffering, by making sure that despite our physical distancing no one feels isolated or cut off from each other. This week, call that person you’ve been thinking of – reach out to that neighbor or acquaintance that came to your mind out of the blue. It might well be that the Holy Spirit inspired you to think of them, prompting you to be the means by which they will not lose hope in this moment. It’s ironic, but now more than ever, we have a real opportunity to make a difference in the life – and the faith – of each other.
Friends, as we heard in the first reading, “Not as man sees does God see.” As strange as it may seem in this time, the Church’s liturgy bids us to be joyful today, on this “Laetare Sunday” – not because all is right with the world but because we have come to know and to believe in a Savior, Jesus Christ, who helps us to see with spiritual sight. Perhaps we could all stand to pull back from watching the news a bit, and rather than focus on what's wrong or on what we lack, instead we could ask ourselves, like that man who wants to be a Jesuit, “How best can I serve others right now?”
No one wants to be in the situation we are in, but much like the blind man in the Gospel today, perhaps the Lord desires to use this tragedy for purposes we cannot know. By our faith, by our love for one another, the Lord will help us to gain new sight in this difficult time so that, in turn, we can make visible his goodness to the world.
1 comment:
Thank you Father for all you are doing through these extraordinary days.
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