If we meditate on this Gospel passage, we can surely identify with any one of the “cast of characters”—the man born blind, the Pharisees, the parents of the man, or even the group of his acquaintances. Given our Lenten context, it might be good to slip into the sandals of the man born blind. Seemingly, in just this one person, we witness someone who matures in his appreciation of Jesus and his true identity.
Under intense “scrutiny,” it is the man born blind who is absolutely unable to deny his cure. The Pharisees make every attempt to discredit him, but under their intense questioning and probing, the man who can now see uncovers by his own testimony the true identity of Jesus. First, he identifies his healer as, “that man they call Jesus”; after that, he names Jesus “a prophet,” then “the Son of man,” and finally, “Lord.”
Each of us has been invited to use this holy season to mature in our relationship with “that man we call Jesus.” And in doing so, we embrace the Lord’s truth and hold on to his promise to heal our blind spots, too.
Reflection by Fr. Jim Bessert
Office of Liturgy
Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan
