From Our Deacon
In these last Sundays of Lent, when we have listened to the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus has always been on his way. The evangelists do not mention where Jesus is going. We now know that he was on his way to fulfill his mission, the paschal mystery, which was the will of his Father. With his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus brings salvation, but he also brings liberation.
Jesus does not make humanity wait to receive these fruits until after his resurrection, but he already begins to give his grace to all those he meets on his way, like the blind man this Sunday.
With an act of great compassion and love for the blind man, Jesus manifests the core aspect of liberation on this man, restoring his awareness of his value and, with it, the value of every human being: his dignity and his freedom. This is the way to manifest the love of God to man in an encounter with Jesus. It is an encounter with God in the human being, who makes God present in his active experience of love. John calls this dynamic presence, Spirit, and whoever accepts it in himself is born of God, and has new life.
The blind man has changed after his healing. Before, he was a weak man and a victim of oppression, but by the Spirit he receives from Jesus, he becomes a free man; freed from the authority of the Pharisees, and incompatible with their system. This man has begun to see. He does not know who Jesus is, but when Jesus himself goes out to his meeting, he accepts him and prostrates before him, and recognizes him when he feels illuminated by his presence and his light.
“Do you believe in the Son of man?” … “I believe Lord.” The narration leads us to reflect on our faith in Jesus. Our faith can be tested like these Pharisees, parents of the blind man, and neighbors, that it may seem impossible to us that Jesus could forgive, heal, and above all, love all those sisters and brothers that we consider undeserving of forgiveness for their lifestyle or for their sins. As Saint Paul tells the Ephesians, “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” This light that the blind man has received bothers this group of people who are still part of the darkness. From the moment the blind man begins to see, all the difficulties begin: loneliness, abandonment, and exclusion. This is the true blindness, the blindness of those who cannot see or recognize the infinite grace of God that is poured out abundantly for all those he loves, including those we consider unworthy of the love of Jesus.
Br. Salvador Mejia, OFM
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