Lent: reflections on renewed sight

For the fourth Sunday of Lent, the scriptures propose the encounter of Jesus with a man who was born blind.  Here is my reflection about the ways in which we are called to a new gift of sight.

With renewed sight

The scripture passages we have heard today all speak of the importance of sight and perception.  Samuel is sent in search of a new king who has been chosen from among the sons of Jesse, but it was only when the Lord confirmed his choice that Samuel was able to anoint him (cf 1 Sam 16:6-13).

The gospel recounts the story of the cure of a man who was blind from birth (Jn 9:1) and Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that once we were darkness, but now in the Lord, we are light.  Therefore we must live as children of the light (Eph 5:8).

The need for renewed sight is not something that is confined to the scriptures; we too can benefit from the wisdom that is shared with us today, and from the gift of new sight that our faith provides.  Lent is a time of grace during which the Lord invites us to come back to him, to see the world around us through his eyes.  Renewed by our experience of conversion, he gives us the gift of new sight so that we can continue his work of pointing out the injustices to which so many people are blind.  We are the ones that Jesus counts on to do what we can to change situations of injustice into opportunities for new life.

This year, the Share Lent campaign organized by Development and Peace is focused on Women at the heart of change.  The information that is provided helps to open our eyes to the plight of our brothers and sisters, but it is up to us to do something about it, otherwise these words will have fallen on deaf ears.

In this part of the world, we are extremely fortunate, but our fortune often blinds us to the reality of situations that must be faced by many others.  We are surrounded by lakes and we have access to one of the largest reserves of fresh water in the world, yet how many women and girls spend the majority of their days carrying water jugs in search of clean water so that their families can cook, wash and drink?

A vast swath of Canada’s land is covered by the boreal forest, yet there are parts of our world where our brothers and sisters must struggle daily to find enough wood to cook their meals and to provide warmth for their families.

Most of us are fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads, yet there are some – even in this city – who are homeless, and then there are the countless others who live in other parts of the world and must struggle to rebuild their lives over and over again, each time that an earthquake, a typhoon or some other disaster strikes.

And lest we be lulled into thinking that we are far distanced from the world of struggle, let us not forget the plight of Canada’s indigenous people.  They live side by side with us and yet far too often we are unaware of the wealth they have to offer.

Jesus restored sight to the man who was born blind so that he could come to believe that what seems impossible can be made possible (cf Jn 9:1-41).  He offers the gift of new sight to all of us.  How will we make a difference this week in the world around us?  Once, we too were in darkness, but now we walk as children of the light.  It is up to us to live each day by the light of our faith so that others may see for themselves and come to believe the good news.