Are You Blind? By Amilee Bishop, Fiat Ventures

“Are You Blind?”

by Amilee Bishop, Fiat Ventures

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I’m going to guess that if you’re reading this, there is a good chance that like me, you’re not blind.  God has blessed you with healthy eyes!  So what does the Gospel reading today have to do with us?  What can we learn from a story about Jesus giving sight to a blind man?

Jesus told him, ‘Go your way, your faith has saved you.’

Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Mark 10:52

 It’s these lines that point us towards the answer.  “Go your way, your faith has saved you.”  Jesus didn’t care where this man came from, or who he was, or what he had done in the past.  All that mattered is that he had faith that Jesus was truly God, and would have the power to cure his blindness.

All that mattered was his faith.

Maybe we aren’t physically blind, but spiritually blind.  Maybe we are unable or unwilling to open our eyes to see beyond the tangible things right in front of us.  It’s easy for me to get caught up in my day-to-day activities, and become blind to God’s presence in my life.  But I can follow in the steps of the blind man, praying “Lord, I want to see,” the same thing the blind man said to Jesus.  It’s a simple prayer, but if we pray it in faith, it can be enough.

We read in the first reading that God will gather all people from all over the world, from the north and south, including even the blind and the lame.  At times we can all be blind.  Or maybe we are deaf, or mute, or lame.  Maybe we’ve chosen to be these things, in the hope that shutting out God will make our lives easier.  But even then, God wants us, he wants us however we are, whole or broken.  And I promise you, the more you ask God to open your eyes, the better your life will become!