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We are all familiar with the physical condition of blindness. Today we have many medical treatments that in some cases are able to restore full vision or at least help a patient gain partial sight which enables them to have self independence. We can hardly imagine the hardship and suffering blindness brought upon persons so afflicted in Jesus time. To end up a beggar on the street, like the man in today's gospel, was not uncommon. It is also not uncommon to use the term blindness in a metaphorical sense. You often hear people say, "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." Today our technological-scientific world has been turn upside down by a little microscopic virus. Thousands of lives have been lost and everyone's life has been altered in various ways. Of all the lessons this pandemic is teaching us there is one we must not fail to see - it is that we do not rule - we are not the masters of God's creation. We can alter and manipulate things but to change the original design of creation is not ours do. With increasing frequency in our society today we see the role of religion being marinized or abandoned altogether. Yes there are prophets warning us that we are mismanaging this creation we have taken control over; assigning to it a design and purpose of our own making. They warn us of dyer consequence if we are unwilling to see the evidence before our eyes. "... what, are you blind, don't you see ..." The blind man in today's gospel is quite aware of his condition. Spiritual blindness is much more difficult to comprehend. Spiritual blindness is most often the last thing sufferers attribute to their troubled life. How ironic it is that a man with physical blindness is the one teaching us today about the need for healing of spiritual blindness. The blind man in today's gospel did not find Jesus on his own. He may have heard about him but in fact it was Jesus who found him. There are evangelist today who know well Jesus the spiritual healer, often because they themselves were healed. The spiritually blind hear this testimony but dismiss it. People of a true living faith are today's evangelist. Their lives of peacefulness and confident trust pointing to Jesus as the source are well known to the spiritually blind. The hope is that there will come a time when their blindness becomes clear to them, and with it the day when Jesus comes bye asking " what is it you want me to do for you?" And they will say . . . . ". . . let me see again ..."
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