Sunday, March 22nd
Scripture
1 Sm 16: 1b. 6-7, 10-13a
Ps 23: 1-3a.3b-4.5.6 (1)
Eph 5: 8-14
Jn 9: 1-41
Reflection
Humbled by God’s choice of David and the common sense of the man cured of blindness, I ask myself: “What are the places in me that suffer blindness or where I judge others by appearances? “ An encounter I had in a nursing home immediately came to me. As I was being introduced to residents, I saw a lady in a wheelchair, suffering from Huntington’s disease. She was in constant motion with involuntary spasms, and jerking, writhing limbs. She had no facial expression as she struggled to speak. Unsure about how to greet her I stood still, until with great effort she pointed to her cheek, an invitation for a kiss. For me it was a sacred kiss because in that moment I got a glimpse of her beautiful spirit I would have otherwise missed.
For us, individually and collectively there are places where we cannot see. Our healing comes as we become ever more open to the radiance of Christ’s light.
Prayer
Dear God, I ask you to reveal the places in me that suffer from blindness or from judgment by appearances. As I become aware of these vulnerable places, please let me hold them gently for healing in the light of your love. Open my eyes that I may see.
Personal Challenge
Today let me be more like God who judges, not by external appearance, but by what God sees in the heart.
Sister Lucy Silvio, CSJ
Baton Rouge, LA
