8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Talking to his disciples, Jesus said, “Can a blind person guide a blind person?” and a bit later, he asked, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not recognize the beam in your own?” Over the years, we have all heard the usual answers to these questions. Firstly, it is near impossible for a blind person to lead another blind person without both tripping and falling for the obvious reason that neither of them can see where they are going. The same is true of the one who manages to see the little obstruction in his neighbor’s eye but fails to recognize the huge cataracts in their own.
More often than not we conclude that unless we rid ourselves of our blindness, we cannot be helpful disciples. Some of us even obsess over the impossibility of being true disciples until we eliminate every obstruction (beam) from our own faith journey before we journey with another in a helpful way. Yet we know that somehow that will never happen. Rightly so because we will always have some obstruction ourselves; we are all partially blind. In fact, we complain that we were blind-sighted. We cannot wait until we are completely free of any obstruction. It just won’t happen. We are all and always in need of conversion.
Let us not forget that occasionally, though rarely, some who are blind can better assist others who are blind because sometimes the blind is more aware and sensitive to the environment around them. They can be excellent disciples because, having experienced the obstructions on their journey, they know (see) the real pitfalls.
After everything is said and done, we see best with our hearts. The heart sees more than the eye because it is not limited to the surface of what the light will reveal. Jesus is the only light that can penetrate the heart.
Prayer:
Lord, we ask you to be the light that dispels the darkness of our hearts and opens our eyes to see your goodness in ourselves, others, and the world around us. Amen.
