This past Sunday, God’s Word at Mass was a clear call to see. Really, really see what He offers us. To see the bright light of God’s grace that illuminates our minds, hearts, and souls, especially during Lent, especially on Laetare Sunday, that point during Lent when we focus on rejoicing in our lives of faith, rejoicing because of all that God gives us so that we can consciously turn to Him and His warm, loving, eternal embrace.
The concept of seeing and experiencing God was woven throughout the three readings that we heard proclaimed: the last judge of Israel Samuel, St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, and the Gospel of John, which told us the wonderful account of the blind man who sees because of his encounter with Jesus Christ – both literally and on the level of the life of faith (Jn 9:1-41).
With the smearing of wet dirt clay on His eyes by Jesus and then washing that clay away in the pool of Siloam, the blind man’s eyes work for the first time in his life. He can see what he never saw before: those people around him, the sky, the buildings, the landscape.
Despite this miracle that occurred during his encounter with Jesus, the once-blind man does not quite know who the Lord really is. When he is grilled by the officials, he says that Jesus must be a prophet. More is needed by him. He is treated badly by the officials and thrown out of the synagogue. Now comes this man’s second encounter with Jesus, who seeks him out when he heard what happened to the man He healed and asks him a simple question: “Do you believe in the son of man?”
Their conversation back and forth in this part of the Gospel shows us the dawn of a second way of seeing for the once-blind man, a newer, more powerful vision. Read again how this plays out in the Gospel account. That man says, in answer to Jesus’ question, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” Then that second dawn of seeing and believing occurs. The man says to Jesus, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Now, that once-blind man not only sees by the light of sun overhead, he sees by the light of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a vision not provided by the light of the sky above but by God, a deeper and far more profound light and encounter that does just what I mentioned before: meeting God, turning to and embracing the Lord in worship, and experiencing the all-loving embrace of God’s grace through that new vision of encounter with the Lord.
God’s grace allowed the once-blind man to see as God sees rather than seeing only what limited human vision, human minds, and human hearts can reveal. This weekend’s first reading from Samuel makes it clear that God does not see as humans can see. The priest, prophet, and judge tells us that while we see the surface of what is around us, God sees within all. He “looks into the heart (1 Sm 16:7).”
Jesus did not stop with that man whom He healed some 20 centuries ago. This deeper vision – this deeper way of seeing – God’s way of seeing – is something that He calls all of us to embrace. I found this to be wonderful news, very, very good news.
Lately, I have found myself needing to see at this deeper level and be renewed by God’s grace. In my own life, I see the distractions and unexpected turns: several friends and colleagues who have passed recently; the seemingly endless procession of projects and tasks at work, and never feeling like I’m caught up on all that; the ongoing aches and pains that come from being in my 60s. I’m also deeply bothered that so many conflicts in the world are leading to all-out war instead of peaceful solutions that benefit all people. There is so much tragedy to be seen on the news, online, on TV, and so forth.
I’m not alone, either. All of us experience these things – maybe more for some – maybe less for others – depending on people’s current circumstances. But we’re all there in the midst of the busy, hectic, and even dangerous world we live in. That is why we too need to embrace the light of God and to see beyond human vision and seek God’s vision for us and the world. Lent is a wonderful time to focus on this. That word itself has an element of growing light to it.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the history of the word Lent. It comes from the Old English word Lencten, which means “spring” or “springtime.” Springtime in Ohio brings more light every day. Literally. With each passing day right now, daylight increases by about 4 minutes. And, with that increasing light comes warmth, cold weather departs, snow melts, nature blossoms and grows again, leaves return to the trees, farmers’ fields come alive again with all sorts of grains and other crops. The world around us here sees a spreading of green everywhere.
During Lent, the Lord is inviting us, through prayer, the sacraments, and our Lenten practices, to do just that: let the light of God and His grace warm our minds, hearts, and souls and let the cold snows of sin melt away when we avail ourselves of God’s mercy and forgiveness through the sacrament of confession, so that the deeper, brighter light of God enables us to see all the events and occurrences swirling around us with deeper vision and understanding inspired by His wisdom rather than human desires.
St. Paul’s words in his letter to the Ephesians tell us the perfect way to accomplish that: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth (Eph 5:9).”
If we go forth every day in that spirit, we will accomplish what St. Paul said one step at a time, steadily embracing God’s ways and using them as the sure light that will guide us through the difficult times and keep us on track and fixed on God during the good times as well. We will be following in the footsteps of the blind man who was healed by Jesus not once but twice, a man who began to see the world for the first time and who also began to see God and rejoiced.