Weekly Gospel Reflection

In this week’s Gospel, we hear of a man who was born blind. At this time this was a great drawback with those with physical defects shunned by wider society. Jesus heals this man using an interesting method – he spits on the ground and makes clay of it using his saliva.

 The man was then asked to go and wash his eyes from the pool of Siloam. After this he experienced the miracle of sight. 

The interesting thing about this passage is the evangelist doesn’t focus on the miracle itself, but rather the questions that the miracle brings to front of mind. 

The cured man is first interrogated by the astonished crowd and then the Pharisees (Religious Leaders.)  The Pharisees even go as far as calling Jesus a sinner for working on a day of the Sabbath (a day of rest). 

In the end, it is the blind man who gradually approaches the light of Jesus whilst the religious leaders slip into ever deeper darkness. They are locked away in their arrogance, they believe that they have the light and do not open themselves to the truth of Jesus Christ and do everything they can to deny the evidence. They call into question the identity of the blind man and then object to God’s action in healing on the Sabbath. In the end, they expel the now healed man from the temple.

The question this passage raises is – who is blind and who can see?  

We are called as we come to the middle of Lent to open our eyes to Christ and live out his mission authentically. To, in the words of Caritas “work together for justice and dignity to build a better future for all.”

Loving God, 

You created humanity in your image and likeness. We pray that we may open our eyes to see your face in our brothers and sisters of different cultures, races and religions. May we focus on what binds us as a people rather than what separates us. We pray that we may follow your example and embrace the unique qualities that each of us possess, so that we may bring about harmony on this earth. 

St John Vianney, 

Hear our Prayer

 By Jonathan Rooney REL