March 14, 2023 at 3:21 p.m.
What do you see?
What do you see?
In the reading from the first book of Samuel, God sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to choose a new king from his sons. Jesse parades seven sons before Samuel. There were some who have promise, Samuel thinks, because they appeared kingly. But God says, “Not so fast, Samuel, you are not looking with a discerning eye, you are not seeing as I do.” So Jesse sends for the youngest and most insignificant son, David. Samuel sees a handsome youth; God sees a future king — a man with a heart for the Holy One. David was anointed and his house and lineage would last forever because it continues in Jesus, the Christ.
In the Gospel, there is this same tension of seeing and not seeing, of not truly understanding what is perceived. Jesus, the disciples, the man born blind, his parents and the Pharisees all seem to be looking at the same situation and seeing things very differently. The disciples assume that the man or his parents sinned and blindness is the punishment. Jesus sees this not as a sin, but as an opportunity, so “that the works of God might be made visible.” Soon the man and the disciples will see that Jesus is the light of the world.
The man born blind receives his sight in stages and he comes to know who Jesus is in stages as well. First Jesus smears his eyes with mud, then the man must wash, and finally he “came back able to see.” When he was questioned by the Pharisees, the man said that he saw Jesus and he professes that Jesus is a prophet and a man from God. The man born blind is thrown out of the synagogue for admitting to being one of Jesus’ disciples. He has another encounter with Jesus, who asks if he believes in the Son of Man. This title has varied meanings, but it most often refers to Jesus as the Messiah. The man born blind sees Jesus as the Messiah and affirms his belief with a rousing, “I do believe, Lord” and he worships Jesus.
At the same time there are also those who refuse to see. The man’s parents cannot acknowledge Jesus as the Christ for fear of expulsion from the synagogue. Some of the Pharisees will not see Jesus as anything more than a sinner who is not of God because he breaks the Sabbath. The disciples are seeing through the lens of God punishing the unjust.
As we look more deeply into this miracle story, this “sign,” what do we see? In John’s Gospel, miracles are called signs. They unveil Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God; they show the power of God working through Jesus the Messiah. They reveal Jesus as the very face of God — a face that shows compassion and caring to all. A face that fulfills the promise the Holy One made to Moses — I am the one who is always with you.
So what is this sign personally revealing about Jesus? What do we “see?” Certainly, we perceive a call to deepen our relationship with Jesus. Our Lenten practices lead us to deeper prayer which can be experiencing the loving gaze of Jesus. As Pope Francis says, “Jesus always looks at us with love.” (Angelus, Oct. 30, 2022) Can we sit still and absorb his gaze?
Can we gaze back with gratitude? Fasting calls us to see the world from a less self-centered perspective. If we fast from our narrow perceptions, we can feast on becoming more aware of creation, of our dear neighbors, family and those we struggle to accept. This impels us to live the works of mercy with greater gusto!
Lent opens our eyes! It gives us a new opportunity to practice seeing with God’s eyes — with the tender gaze of Jesus, which sees not just externals but looks into the heart of the other.
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
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