THE TRUE VISION
First Reading : 1 Samuel 16: 1 and 6-7 and 10-13
Second Reading: Ephesians 5: 8-14
Gospel Reading: John 9: 1-41
* First reading is from the book of Prophet Samuel. The Lord God asks Prophet Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the King of Israel. The Lord God chooses David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse to be the King, although Samuel thinks better of the other sons of Jesse. It is a fact that the Lord God chooses the weak, makes them strong and works through them to manifest His power and glory. When we humans look at appearances, the Lord God looks at the very heart of a person and makes His choice.
*Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Ephesians. Paul reminds the Christian community at Ephesus that although once they were in darkness but now, they are in the light of the Lord. Hence as children of light, they should bear fruits of the light and they should not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness.
Gaining vision and losing vision Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. The healing of a man born blind is narrated in great details. This man approached many doctors and healers of that time to be healed. But none of them could heal him. Finally, he approaches Jesus to be healed of his blindness. Jesus, knowing his desperate condition, makes a paste and applies it to his eyes and asks the blind man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. He does as told by Jesus and eventually he is able to see everything. The blind man receives physical vision which is followed by a deeper vision of Jesus, as the story unfolds. The healing takes place on a Sabbath. When the Pharisees question the man born blind regarding his gaining sight, he explains to them the healing process. Gradually, his own vision of Jesus becomes more and more clear. At first he says, 'A man called Jesus healed me'. When further questioned, he says, 'He is a prophet'. When they try to intimidate him, he says to the Pharisees, ' Unless this man came from God, he would not be able to do such a miracle'. Later when Jesus asks him, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?", he declares, "Lord I believe", and kneels before Him and worships Him. The man born blind has a radical transformation regarding Jesus whereas the Pharisees, although has physical vision become more and more blind and lose their true vision. The story of the man born blind has a deep significance for us too. At first we meet the Lord 'as a man called Jesus'. Then the realization comes to us that 'he has come from God'. Finally we accept and acknowledge that 'He is the Saviour and Lord of our lives'. Lent is the time for us to have a deeper experience of the Lord Jesus and to get in touch with the divine.
"While light is being given to this man (man born blind) by the light of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Pharisees show their own blindness and darkness in which they live by attacking this miracle of Christ." - St. Gregory Palamas
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