The Blind Will see

Have you ever suffered from poor eyesight or blurry vision? How was the experience, and what was difficult about it?

In Isaiah 29:18, God says through the prophet Isaiah, “…and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” A big problem in our world today and even in our Church is that people have eyesight but cannot see. There are many different aspects of their blindness. For example, one, in today’s culture, people have been blinded as to what is right, just and true. What is good has become bad, and what is bad has become good. Two, Christians have turned a blind eye away from the holiness and righteousness of God as they work at social justice issues. Three, Catholics do not see the invisible angels and saints together with Mama Mary who are all present in every Eucharistic Celebration, and thus, are not awed and even stay away.

If we do not see, then we remain in gloom and in darkness. What is the way out for us? Well, what dispels the darkness is the light. We need to turn to Jesus as it says in Psalm 27:1, “the Lord is my light and my salvation.” We need to meet Christ, to know Christ and to live Christ. We must be single-minded in experiencing the salvation that Jesus already won for us. In Psalm 27:4, we read, “one thing I ask of the Lord, this I seek, to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord’s beauty, to visit His temple.”

So, we look to what is to come, to being in the eternal presence of God. But, in the meantime, we are here in this world and so we strive to look to, and to bring about God’s goodness. How do we look to God’s goodness in this world (especially in the face of so much gloom, misery and sin)? The prophet Isaiah speaks of God’s redemption about the positive aspects of God’s plan in terms of a series of reversals. God will overturn what is wrong and bring about what is right. The blind shall see! In Isaiah 29:18, “on that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll.” We must listen to the words of Jesus and act on them. In Isaiah 29:19, “the lowly and the poorest will rejoice.” We must have a preferential option for the poor and stand up for the least among the people. In Isaiah 29:20-21, “the tyrant and the scoffer will be no more, and all who are ready for evil shall be cut off including those who are unjust.” We must fight against injustice and evil.

For the above to happen, we need to know the truth and the very ways of God. If we try hard enough as it says in Isaiah 29:24, “those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding.” We need to impart those truths to others so that “those who find fault shall receive instruction.”

What must happen? First, we must continue to study God’s words in the bible and with church teachings. We must know the truth of our faith. Thus, we can avoid error. Second, we must correct those who pervert or distort the truth as is common in the culture today. Unfortunately, there are also those who so who are within our church including clerics and religious. We, the laity, can also correct them and in some cases, we have the duty to do so. Third, we must persist in our work of evangelization especially looking to the lost sheep of our church. Our intent is to have them experience the salvation of Jesus.

Many are blind, and at times, we, too, are blind. Sight can only come from Jesus who is the true light. We need to put our faith in him just as the two blind men did. When Jesus said to the in Matthew 9:28, do you believe that I can do this? They replied simply, yes Lord! The result is that Jesus brought sight and their eyes were opened.

For discussion, answer the following questions:

1. What aspect of spiritual blindness in our Church today affects me the most?

2. How has Jesus personally redeemed me in my own experience of spiritual blindness? What has He overturned in my personal life and in my family’s life?

As a couple, ponder on Psalm 27:1, “the Lord is my light and my salvation.” Reflect on the ways that your family can grow in meeting Christ, knowing Christ and living Christ who is the true light of the world.