Be Thou My Vision
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:5
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as “Laetare Sunday” similar to the Third Sunday in Advent, “Gaudete Sunday,” both reminding us to “rejoice!” In the midst of the penitential season of Lent when we prepare our hearts to once again say “yes” to Jesus and “no” to Satan and to walk with Our Lord as we remember His passion, death, and Resurrection, the Church implores us today to rejoice. Why? Because we know how the story ends. We know that in His Resurrection Christ has triumphed over sin and death and that we have the gift of salvation. While here on earth we still fight the battles against the enemy, but we know that the war has been won once and for all.
In today’s Gospel we are presented with our second “character” Gospel that we read during Lent — the man born blind. This man was blind from birth and yet the people assume that it was a punishment from God for the sins of either the man himself or his parents, but Jesus tells them otherwise. The man was born blind not because of sin, but because through what seems like a punishment in the eyes of the world, God will show His power through it: He will make him see. We can imagine the great rejoicing this man shows when he sees for the very first time. But not everyone was rejoicing.
While the man himself and perhaps others in town rejoiced with him, the Pharisees questioned and plotted. They made up every reason they could to doubt that this man, who indeed was born blind, had been cured by Jesus. When this seemed futile, they turned it back on Jesus, condemning Him for curing on the Sabbath. The Pharisees followed the letter of the law, but forgot about the heart or spirit of the Law and the Lawgiver Himself. That is why Jesus said He came not the abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.
You see, the world sees that the blind one here is really the man who was born blind, but in reality it is the Pharisees who are really blind. They may have the power of physical sight, but they are spiritually blind, blind in their hearts. Do we see as Jesus sees or as the world sees? I chose to give this reflection the title of one of my favorite hymns, “Be Thou My Vision,” because it is so fitting. If we see with the eyes of Christ, how much more beautiful the world and our lives would be. If we can see the homeless and poor as beloved children of God instead of problems to be rid of or the “acting out” of those around us as a cry for help instead of an excuse to judge and retaliate, this world of ours would be so much more peaceful. But, too many of us choose to not have Christ as our vision, but rather choose to see only from our own perspectives, our own desires and preferences, and our own pride and arrogance. We have chosen to see with the eyes of the world and of the enemy.
Let us today examine our hearts and minds and be honest with ourselves and with God about the places within us that experience blindness. Where are the places in our hearts that are closed off to God, others, and even our very selves? Jesus wants to cure us of our blindness, but only if we want to. Do we want to see?
May we today ask the Lord to cure us of our spiritual blindness so that we may truly allow Christ, who is the Light of the World, to shine in our hearts and through our bodies so that we might come to see one another as we truly are: brothers and sisters, beloved sons and daughters of God who is love itself. “Lord, be thou my vision!”
I encourage you to listen to “Be Thou My Vision” today. If you do not know the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision,” here is a link to a YouTube video of it. Here is a video with the lyrics. For just the lyrics, see this website.
