As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.

Saint Anthony, hermit once wisely consoled a blind boy: "My dear," he told him, "you do not have eyes like chickens and geese. But you have eyes like angels have - eyes with which you can see God and His light". This boy later became a great theologian and is remembered in history as Didymus the Blind.

There is a great difference between a man who lacks bodily sight and a man who is blinded, a man whose soul sight is impaired. A blind man can sometimes turn his disability into his chance, so that many seers could envy his spiritual maturity. By contrast, infatuation is a misfortune so profound that it cannot be turned into an opportunity. Worse, a spiritually blind person does not realize that he/she is blind.

Each of us can become blinded to some extent and not even know it. For example, I may not notice my neighbor. A person can be so preoccupied with all his/her own affairs that she/he will not even realize that his/her own spouse is feeling very lonely or that he/she is building up a bit of bitterness and a sense of hurt. Sometimes a person is very concerned about their child's different needs but will not notice that the child is hungry for a little parental warmth and approval.

It is not only the needs of other people that wemay not notice. We may also not notice and appreciate the gifts they give us. And thus, there is a growing strangeness between people, sometimes even between husband and wife, between parents and children. And it is even easier for us to ignore other people, people outside our family. The source of this blindness, which makes a person insensitive to the needs and gifts of others, is self-centeredness.

As we can see, it is not only passions that blind a person. Man is blinded not only by hatred, not only by greed, unhealthy ambition or dissolute lust. Man is also blinded by selfishness and laziness. Moreover, a blind man does not always consider himself sinless. La Rochefoucauld noticed once with a sneer that we are even willing to admit to small flaws, because we want to convince ourselves that we do not have big flaws. Yes, man's greatest blindness lies in the fact that man does not see his sin. As we read in Psalm 36: "The blind flatters himself and sees not his guilt that he may hate it."

For he lives with the delusion: his guilt will not be known and hated.

Active blinding is also possible. Then it is not that a person cannot see something. Yes, they see, but they see falsely, and they are firmly convinced that they see correctly. Mensometimes thinks that they are wiser than God. They know what God's commandment is, but it seems to them that they had found a way better than the one indicated by God. Both entire nations and individual people have suffered a lot from such larger and smaller "saviors", who know better than God, where good lies and what happiness is.

Well, the Lord Jesus wants to show us our various blindnesses, to heal us. Here, our good resolutions alone are not enough. Only the grace of Christ the Lord can free us from our blindness. And He can do even more: that the light of God will shine within us and that we will be able to look at the world and at various events of our life truly with God's eyes.

One more Thought: The epidemic and the logic of the blind

It is no coincidence that today we are meeting with an outstanding representative of the world's blind community. The question asked by the disciples at the beginning of today's Gospel is heard in different ways and under different circumstances to this day: " Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus has a third possibility: "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him."

When people in the past looked to blame somebody for the plague epidemic, in their limited powers and confusion, they added one evil to another. In the majesty of law and purity of consciences, minority pogroms were carried out, which were to be the cause of disaster. Is the world smarter today? We do not know that yet?

And Jesus did something in human logic that made no sense: nothing elegant or hygienic. Mud from the saliva with which he covered the eyes of the born blind man. After doing this peculiar act, he sent him to the pool of Siloam to wash himself. The blind man had an excellent orientation in the field and had confidence in Jesus. So, he did what he was instructed to do and came back seeing. A man who had a view of the world only in a kind of virtual reality saw it for the first time in real life. Nobody would be surprised if the sighted blind man lost his head. Meanwhile, he went back to the One who had done this to him, to Jesus. And all subsequent experiences will only strengthen him in his relationship with Jesus. Experiences with lost neighbors and scared parents. And what a sharp clash with the evil-willed representatives of the Temple.

Why did the blind man pass the exam?

He had a simple logic, which he expressed in discussions with the Pharisees who wanted to discredit Jesus' divine origin. In response to their accusations, he replied: “It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything". This logic led the healed person to profess faith in Jesus, the Son of Man, and worship Him, which was a clear recognition of His Divinity. Then Jesus spoke significant words to the Pharisees: " I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind”

The plague or epidemic differs from other misfortunes that it is impossible to hide from it. You can be isolated and secured, but you are not sure anyway that the plague will not touch you. Even after you passed the best tests yesterday, today you are no longer sure. This situation introduces fundamental questions into the tumult of our thoughts and feelings, among them the fundamental one: who is at fault?

And Jesus tells us, regardless of the necessary practical conclusions, it is so that the works of God might be made visible to you!

Do we have enough logic and faith of the blind man?

Until Tomorrow
fr. george

Novena to St. Joseph
Day Five - St. Joseph, Who Did God's Will

Dear St. Joseph,
You did God's will. Dare I say you did it perfectly? Saint Joseph, I want to also do God's most perfect will. But on my own, I will fail. I need your help. I trust that with you as my spiritual father, you will guide me to always do God's most perfect will. Truly, St. Joseph, I want to reach the degree of glory that God has prepared for me in heaven. I want to bear fruit that will last. I don't want to let God down. I want to be a saint. Help me, St. Joseph. You see how weak and sinful I am. But teach me, good father. Help me to follow the commandments and please make my heart sensitive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. I know that as I entrust myself to your care, you will guide me and show me how to always do God's will. I give you permission to redirect the stream of my life if it ever departs from God's most perfect will.

Saint Joseph, who did God's will, please always keep me in God's most perfect will.