How many blind men were in the gospel You will likely say one. But there were several of them, though only one was cured.
I am referring to the other blind types of people in the story. The first ones were the apostles who saw the blind man and asked all sorts of questions, except the most essential one: How can we help this blind man?
Isn’t that how we can be? We are surrounded with poverty but merely ask: Bakit mahihirap ang tao? Mother Teresa did not stop at asking: Why are people poor? Why are there poor people? She also asked: How can I help these poor people? And this is why she is a saint. We may ask all the “why” questions about poverty, unhappiness and suffering, and even have answers to these intellectually, but after that what?
The mark of sanctity is when we can ask: How can I help my brother or sister in need? In other words, these apostles were also blind. They could not see how they could help the blind man.
The second group of blind people comprised the parents and relatives of the blind man. They refused to give witness of his cure to others out of fear of being expelled from the synagogue by the Pharisees. They were afraid to speak up and say, “He was healed by Jesus Christ.” They were spineless people afraid of the consequences of telling the truth They were blinded by cowardice and fear.
The Pharisees formed the third group of blind people They refused to acknowledge that Jesus had performed the miracle of restoring sight to the blind man. They suspended belief because of their prejudices, and thus they were blind to the truth already before their eyes. They stuck to their goal to disprove the divinity of Jesus Christ, and would not accept any proof of it.
The fourth blind man is the man who was cured. He had faith. Though he was blind physically, he could see with his heart. The other three could see with their eyes, but not with their hearts as they were blinded by fear, cowardice, prejudice and their own selfish concerns.
The season of Lent is a season of light, one to cure our blindness. I do not see any blind person here but are you sure you are not blind like the apostles, the Pharisees, the parents and relatives of the man who was cured? If you are, recognize it and ask the Lord, “Lord, I want to see.
OUR BLINDNESS
Jn 9:20
Jesus In My Heart