A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, March 19th

Our Gospel this weekend is the long saga, told by John, of the cure of a blind man.  It is important to notice the trajectory of what is happening.
 
First, it was presumed he was blind because of sin, either his or his parents.  He would have been an outcast of society.  Jesus reaches out and cures him without the man asking for a cure. His neighbors take him to the Pharisees, who again reject him because he defends Jesus.  Then Jesus takes the initiative a second time and searches him out; in other words, Jesus accepted him.  And notice how his faith grows: he first identifies Jesus to his neighbors as “a man.” To the Pharisees, he calls him “a prophet.” When Jesus searches him out, he affirms that he believes that Jesus is “the Son of God.”  From simply a man to a prophet to the Son of God!
 
There are two reflections I invite us to this week.  The first is to reflect on our personal faith journey and where we are today.  The more the blind man interacted with Jesus, the deeper his faith became.  The more I interact with Jesus, the stronger my faith will become.  Do I spend quiet time each day speaking with the Lord, sharing what is happening in my life, and then being quiet and listening?  The more I do this, the stronger my faith will become.
 
Second, the blind man grew, as did the Samaritan woman and Zacchaeus, because Jesus was willing to accept them and interact with them, even though they were outcasts. My willingness to reach out and interact with someone who is rejected and/or isolated can make all the difference in their life. As time goes on, I can invite them to pray with me and/or come to Mass and be part of the community.  There are many people around us who are like the blind man in
today’s Gospel: they need someone to reach out to them, affirming that they are important and eventually inviting them to grow in faith. That is what Jesus did! That is what we are called to do, as His disciples. Let’s make sure we are doing it.
 
Church sign of the week: Do you stand with the great or kneel with the broken?