In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus heals a blind man by anointing his eyes with clay and instructing him to wash in the Pool of Siloam.
An excerpt from today’s reading
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
— John 9: 1-7 —
The priest at the Mass I attended shared a compelling homily about this reading.
He noted that all of Jesus’ words and actions were intentional. Jesus could have healed the blind man instantly like He did with many other miracles. Instead He asks the blind man to be a willing, active participant in his healing, to go to the pool of water and wash away the clay.
He pointed out that Jesus asks the same of us today. He wants us to listen. To show up and put in the work. To be open to His grace.
It seems simple, yet we rebel. We fill our days and nights with noise. We over schedule and over entertain and over stuff ourselves until we get to a place we can’t hear His voice, let alone act on it.
One of the things I really like about Lent is the reminder to strip away all of these things that keep us from hearing and doing God’s will. The only commitment I made this year is to read a chapter of the Bible and sit in silence each day. I’ve been failing miserably, especially at the silence part. Some days the only thing it feels like I’ve sacrificed is my sanity.
But today’s homily was a great reminder. A deeper faith and a relationship with Christ isn’t going to fall into my lap. I have to put in the effort. The blind man leaves us his example.
My prayer for myself and for all of you is that after this period of sacrifice and reflection, we’re left with hearts that hear His voice, the courage to act, and the joy of the Resurrection. <3