Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

The scariest kind of blindness isn’t when you can’t see—it’s when you think you can.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man who has been blind from birth. Jesus makes clay, places it on the man’s eyes, and tells him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. When the man returns, he is able to see.

When the Pharisees hear that the man has been cured, they cannot grasp how this could happen. Their pride keeps them from recognizing God’s work, revealing how spiritually blind they truly are. Yet these are supposed to be the religious leaders of the time. How can they fail to see that this man has been healed by the Lord?

If you are a parent, we are the spiritual leaders in our own homes. Our children are constantly looking to us for answers. When is dinner? Where are we going? When should I wake up or go to sleep? We may have a lot of these answers for them but are we leading our families with faith or with pride?

We must recognize our own need for God. We cannot allow ourselves to become spiritually blind or distracted by the busyness of family life. Instead, our family life should become the very thing that drives us to desire spiritual sight—for ourselves and for our children.

Jesus never tells the blind man that he will be healed. It would be much easier to act on what Jesus asks of us if we already knew the outcome. But that wouldn’t require much faith. When we recognize who God truly is to us—our Creator, our Father, and our Savior—why wouldn’t we trust Him in all things?

Jesus could have healed the man instantly, but He chose not to. The blind man had to listen, trust, and act on Jesus’ words. Do we do the same in our own lives? Do we create moments of silence in our day to listen to God in prayer? Do we trust what He asks of us? Do we act when Jesus calls us to take action?

If we are honest with ourselves, we all have areas in our lives where we are spiritually blind. Taking the time to reflect and examine our hearts can be difficult. The evil one wants to keep these things hidden in darkness and keep us unaware of our own sin. But when we bring our sins and shortcomings to God, we open ourselves to His grace—and that is where true healing begins.

Blessings,

Rhea Moreno

Director of Faith Formation and Family Ministry