• About The Sophia Center

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

~ Spanning the denominations in NY's Southern Tier

The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Tag Archives: disability

In What Way Blind?

26 Thursday May 2016

Posted by thesophiacenterforspirituality in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

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

"Young male adult;hands covering eyes"

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?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donate to The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Donate

Our other websites

  • Main website
  • Facebook page

Visitors

  • 97,376 hits

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,045 other followers

Recent Posts

  • The “O Antiphon” Meditations
  • Memorial to be held this Sunday
  • Mark your calendars
  • A note to readers
  • “Hope Springs Eternal…”

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Join 1,045 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Sophia Center for Spirituality
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...