Today we read the scrutiny for those entering the church at Easter. We take a long gaze at the story of the man born blind in the gospel of John 9:1-41.
In the story we encounter many characters and many different realities.
We have a miracle that is given but not asked for. Unsolicited does the man receive his sight.
In fact the man born blind seems content with his blindness; he seems content with the way things have always been. He just moves along business as usual.
But the unexpected interruption of his life by Jesus leaves a lasting mark of purpose and joy.
Yet things don't go as planned initially. His life gets turned upside down. His life goes from bad to worse, oddly enough the miracle becomes a curse, a burden he must suffer and bear. As soon as he sees he becomes an object of ridicule by those around him.
His neighbors interrogate him.
The pharisees accuse him.
His parents denounce him.
His community excommunicates him.
Yet when the world turns against him, he refuses to turn against God.
In the end, he stands his ground, embraces the gift, recommits himself to his faith and falls in adoration, "I do believe Lord, and he worshipped him."
Helen Keller reminds us, "Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."
The blind mans brings his shattered world into the light and refuses to go backwards. The sight he receives is greater than the circumstance that surround him.
His faith becomes a suffering, a suffering in joy. Pope Benedict reminds us that our faith will become that which we must suffer for in our life.
This Suffering will do one of two things, it will either shape us the way a burden shapes the back of a mule or we will shape it into a prayer for others and something beautiful for God.
May we embrace the suffering of our faith, take the risk and risk the adventure. May we be willing to be "thrown out" like the blind man and embrace the sight we have received, lest we enter into darkness and remain blind for all eternity.
"I can see that is why I can be happy, in what you call the dark, but which for me is golden. I can see a God-made world not a man made world." Helen Keller
We see and like the blind man our response to the world that hounds us is to simply endure and take a stand and fall on our knees in adoration, "yes We do believe, Lord" and we worship him.
Not as the world sees but as the blind man sees, we embrace the gift of sight, "in what you call the dark, which for me is golden. I see a God-made world not a man-made one."
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