Today we hear the reading from John’s Gospel about the healing of the man born blind. This story has many aspects to it; that Jesus uses this man’s handicap to bring vision to all of us, the blindness of the religious leaders of His day; the lack of understanding of why this man was blind and his growth in faith because of Jesus’ actions.
It is said that those who lose one of their senses have increased ability in their other senses. Having been blessed in having all five human senses I cannot say if this is true, but this story asks us to pause and consider how blessed we are. With the recent coronavirus pandemic, we are seeing all sorts of reactions to the threat of becoming infected. We don’t seem to value our health until it is compromised or threatened. Reflecting on this I realized that most of us have the resources to provide for ourselves for an extended time if the need arises. If we must quarantine ourselves, we have food in our freezers and pantries that could tide us over for quite some time. We have families that could assist us if we are unable to fend for ourselves. Our local community is one that has shown the willingness to help others when disaster strikes, and they may be providing resources as this health emergency plays out. And our Church, rich in compassion and love may be a resource to those who do not have family or friends at hand to assist them.
See, we have all sorts of blessings right here. We sometimes are blind to just how good we have it and how blessed we are! Think about this whenever you start feeling sorry for yourself.
Above all the physical needs we have, our spiritual needs are also being cared for. Our priests work very hard to provide us with the sacraments and spiritual care we need. Take the time to thank them for what they do for us and how hard they work for the Lord. During this season of Lent, we should reflect on our situation, physical and spiritual, and remember how our Lord sacrificed Himself to make our salvation possible. This is the greatest blessing any of us could ask for!
Pray for those affected by this virus and those working for a vaccine. Pray for our country and world, that God may grant good to come from this, and that each of us may stop and count our blessings.
~Deacon Ray
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