In Jesus’ times, when someone had an illness or a condition it was thought by others in society that it was a punishment for some sin they committed in the past.  So, in today’s Gospel Jesus is quick to point out that neither the Blind man or his parents have sinned. The man in fact was born blind so that the ‘works of God may be displayed in him’.

Jesus performs the miracle. He covers the man’s eyes in a mixture of spittle and clay and then tells him to go and wash in the pool at Siloam. When the man does this his sight is restored immediately. Those who had seen him earlier in the day recognised him as the Blind Beggar and they questioned what had happened. He told them what Jesus had done and that his sight was restored. Some of the Pharisees questioned that Jesus ‘could not be from God’ as he had broken the sabbath. When they ask the Man ‘what have you say about him’, he declares that ‘Jesus is a Prophet’.

We can all experience a type of blindness in our lives. We can be blind to what’s going on around us and often we choose not to see because we may be challenged to change our ways or attitude. Sometimes those who are close to us can try to point out our ‘blind spot’ but we dismiss it because we don’t want to hear it from them and try to change our ways.

As we journey through these weeks of Lent we pray that we might be open to seeing and listening to what God is saying to each of us in our daily lives.

Fr Gerry