In What Way Blind?

Tags

Bartimaeus, blindness, courage, deaf, disability, inner senses, risk taking, seeing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I can’t imagine – on a beautiful, sunny, spring day like today – sitting here as I am and not being able to see the scene that greets me outside my window. That was my thought upon reading the story of blind Bartimaeus in this morning’s gospel. (MK 10: 46-52) Fast upon that reflection, however, came the memory of Dancing With the Stars whose winner this season was a profoundly deaf man who was able to keep perfect time in the dances without even sensing the vibration of the music. How was that possible? I can only surmise that the brilliance of his partner and some inner coherence in their energy kept him “in sync” not only with Peta but with the music he could not hear as we hearing people do. It was extraordinary. And then I remember Jacques Lusseyran, the blind leader in the French Resistance during World War II. Blinded at the age of eight years, Lusseyran accessed some inner sense that allowed him to work for years undetected because of his physical “disability” and to survive, as few did, the horrors of a concentration camp while giving hope to hundreds of other prisoners. How did he do that? In his book, And There Was Light, Lusseyran speaks of the inner light that guided his perception and his motivation each day. Rather than feeling sorry for himself and spending his life lamenting what he did not have, he capitalized on his inner senses for guidance and the ability to live a life of meaning.

I am grateful every day for the ability to see and to hear (the Canada geese just flew by my window) but considering the above examples I know that there are also deeper ways of perception and it behooves me to continue to sharpen my inner senses. Bartimaeus had been blind from birth. I wonder if his statement: “I want to see” came simply from having heard from others that Jesus was a healer. When Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” he didn’t say, “Heal my blindness!” although that was clearly what he was hoping for. I just wonder if the question demanded some deep determination on the part of the recipient – a participation in the healing rather than leaving all the work of it to the healer. His answer seems to admit of more possibilities than the physical healing it implies.

So the questions for me this morning are the following: Where does my blindness lie? Do I really want to see? What am I willing to do, to give up perhaps, in order to see in a deeper way? What will that cost? Am I equal to the task? Can I rely on God to be with me as healer in the process? It must have taken courage for Nyle DiMarco to say yes to Dancing with the Stars, for Jacques Lusseyran to step back into life as a blinded child and each day after, for Bartimaeus to put his faith in Jesus as healer. Courage is necessary sometimes in what seem the smallest endeavors as well as the monumental, life-changing possibilities. What am I willing to risk?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for Light

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blindness, Bridge of Spies, children of light, Cold War, enemy, Ephesians, goodness, James Donovan, no one is perfect, prodigal son, relationship, righteousness, Russian spy, search for truth, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

Again this Sunday there are two sets of lectionary readings from which to choose a theme, depending on whether a parish has catechumens or candidates who are being initiated into the Roman Catholic faith. Both gospel texts are good stories – one the Prodigal Son parable and the other about the man born blind where everyone is concerned to find out whose sin caused the blindness. Even the Hebrew Scripture weighs in with the story of how David was chosen as king. Looking at all of this I can only conclude – as I often do – that it’s all about relationship and the search for truth. Oh, yes, and the fact that nobody is perfect.

Last evening we watched the movie, Bridge of Spies at home. A true story about an incident in the Cold War, it was quite engaging in many ways but especially as an indicator of the integrity of attorney James Donovan, chosen to defend a Russian spy. Everyone expected the trial and the spy’s execution to be a “slam-dunk” but Donovan was having none of that. I won’t go further with the plot but would recommend the movie and make one more comment that I see as reflective both of today’s text from the letter to the Ephesians and the theme of relationship mentioned above.

Paul exhorts his listeners to live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Throughout the movie Donovan treated the spy as a human being worthy of respect simply for the fact that he was a human being. Shining a different light on the word “enemy” by coming to know the man – even though he was admittedly guilty of being a spy – calls me to be careful of vilifying an entire population because of the actions of a government or a group of people. This is not as simple as I make it seem, especially when we are seriously threatened as we were by the Soviet Union (and they by us) in 1962. Paul calls us, however, to try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness. In doing so, we may find  relationship in places we could not imagine and outcomes better than we  ever thought possible – even as we still admit that no one is perfect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ephphatha!

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blind, blindness, deafness, Ephphatha, fearless, Isaiah, letter of james, Mark, openness, prejudice, psalm 146, show no partiality, sight, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The vision of the prophet Isaiah today (35:4-7) is full of energy and good news. My heart was lifted to hope as I felt his words: THUS SAYS THE LORD! Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God…who comes to save you…Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf will be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag and the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools and the thirsty ground springs of water! Good news indeed, which the psalmist picks up again in Ps. 146, speaking about God giving sight to the blind and raising up those who are bowed down.

When I read of Jesus curing the blind man in MK 7:31-37, it appeared that the easy topic for today was gratitude for all of God’s gifts, especially of healing of the senses and the earth, but the second reading from the Letter of James (2:1-5) wouldn’t be ignored. Show no partiality, James says, when dealing with other people. Sometimes our prejudices are based on what we see and hear and sometimes they are so subtle that we do not recognize the motivation for our leanings toward or against another person. James speaks of blatant things: gold rings and fine clothes vs. shabbiness in dress. Sometimes a regional or foreign accent draws or repels us – or sometimes it is religious or political party affiliation…The list is endless. So when the Scriptures speak of blindness or deafness I think it is clear that in addition to our physical senses, we need to be attentive to openness on deeper levels. Ephphatha! Jesus cries. Be opened! – the key I will carry to observe my thoughts and actions throughout this day.

Believing Is Seeing

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Advent, believe, believing, blindness, bounty of the Lord, desire, expect, Lord, Matthew, Messiah, miracle, seeing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

We often hear the sentence, “Seeing is believing.” In the readings for today, however, it is just the opposite. From the psalmist we hear, “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living” and calls others to courage and stoutheartedness in waiting for his vision to be realized in the coming of the Messiah. (Ps. 27) In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus encounters two blind men who ask him to heal them of their blindness. (MT 9) His question to them is interesting and instructive. He asks, “Do you believe that I can do this?” In other words, if you want to see, you’d better believe it’s within the realm of possibility to have it happen.

I have a friend who has preached positive thinking for many years. Her trademark trio of verbs is: desire, believe, expect. As we wait during this season of Advent for the “bounty of the Lord” we might choose to consider what it is that we want to see happen in our lives. What blindness might we wish to overcome that is possible because we believe in Jesus and in ourselves?

Blindness

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blindness, bling leading the blind. trends, Jesus, Matthew, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, think

We had company last weekend. One of the visitors was a bright, lovely young lady who is turning 16 years old this month. We had a conversation about wardrobe when she appeared in jeans that were practically ripped to shreds from thigh to ankle. I asked if she bought them that way and, of course, she said yes (as I expected) because that is “all the rage” these days. I thought of that conversation this morning when I read the line (MT 15:14): “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Admittedly, jeans are not the subject of Jesus’ commentary this morning but it got me thinking about fads and how we “catch the wave” sometimes almost unconsciously – especially in language (“24/7” for example) and fashion, even if (ladies) it means looking like your skirt just got caught in a paper shredder! Jesus is talking about more serious things and we should consider how we speak on all manner of topics – spiritual, political and cultural – sometimes in generalities when all we know is a particular situation or incident. Clearly we are in an era where diversity is dangerous, even while our country is becoming more diverse. Acceptance depends on “fitting in” and we only have to look at the horror of teen suicide because of bullying to know that something is awry.

I could go on but would probably end up in a rant. The point this morning is to think before we speak, make choices from what we believe in no matter what the many cultures of our times tell us and accept others for their God-given humanity rather than rejecting them because they are different from us. And when we fall along the way, may there be a kind, compassionate, strong someone willing to pull us out of the pit!

Who Is Blind?

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blindness, darkness, David, Ephesians, Jesse, Jesus, John, light, Paul, Samuel, shing like the sun, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thomas Merton

This morning’s readings are replete with references to blindness and sight, to darkness and light, leaving one to ponder, “Who then is the blind person and what is true seeing?”

The first reading from 1 Samuel is the familiar one about the search for a king to replace Saul. Jesse had lined up seven sons for the prophet Samuel who thought the task would be easy. He was ready to name the first one considered, Eliab, when the Lord spoke to him and said, “Do not judge from his appearance or his lofty stature…Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” It took rejection of all seven and the (probably frustrated) question from Samuel of, “Are these all the sons you have?” for Jesse to even consider mentioning David who was the youngest and out tending the sheep. “Look deeper,” God was saying. “Don’t stay on the surface of what’s necessary in this situation!” (Interestingly, this reading is followed by: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”)

The reading from Paul (EPH 5: 8-14) is somewhat stunning in its direct address. Paul does not use simile here to make his point but challenges the Ephesians with a stark contrast. “Brothers and sisters,” he says, “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” As we approach the season of spring, we know the importance of light for the growth of all manner of plants. Are we as concerned for our own quotient of life-producing light? If we can’t count on enough help from the sun (especially perhaps here in the northeast) where will the light come from? Paul seems to think we can be beacons of light – reminding me of a famous text from Thomas Merton who, in speaking of being a member of the human race, comments, “As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”

The gospel from John (9:1-41) can be seen as a good example of a long, drawn-out, convoluted attempt to prove a point which is obviously flawed. It is the story of the man born blind whom Jesus cured. That sounds like a simple fact to us but everyone was concerned about the whole situation because there were factors in the situation that were not what was expected. First, everyone – including the disciples – wanted to know (in keeping with the prevailing wisdom of the time) who had sinned to cause the blindness – the man or his parents. Jesus said, “Neither” and proceeded to give a speech about himself using this opportunity to manifest the works of God. Then he cured the man. After that everyone got into the act trying to figure out how the man had been cured. The man repeated several times: to the neighbors, the Pharisees, then a segment of the Pharisee contingent, then those Jews asking his parents, then the Pharisees again…the simple facts of Jesus making clay, putting it on his eyes, telling him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, which gave him his sight. No one was listening. They didn’t expect that possibility of Jesus. Only the blind man himself progressed in his understanding, saying in answer to the queries: 1.”It was the man called Jesus.” 2. “He is a prophet.” 3. “I do believe, Lord.” In the end, those whose minds were closed finally gave up, missing the entire point. They were, one might say, too blind to see.