"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
Gospel of Mark
On March 18, 1958, Fr. Thomas Merton, a monk from Kentucky, while visiting Louisville, had an experience which he documented in one of his books. He says: "In Louisville, at the corner of forth and Walnut, in the centre of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people; that they were mine and I theirs; that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness. I suddenly realized that holiness did not require isolation or renunciation of the world."
Have you ever been on an extended retreat; maybe a cursillo weekend, or an Alpha retreat? As you go through the retreat experience, we often discover something unexpected happening that we may not fully understand. We may discover something in scripture that takes on a new meaning. We may begin to experience a oneness with the other people who are sharing this time with us. We may come in touch with a sense of community and a renewed sense of the presence of God in our lives.
These new incites and experiences are often described as awakenings, revelations, or coming to a greater awareness. It is as if the lights have come on and we are able to see things in a way that we could not before.
In the Gospel of Mark, we read of Jesus healing the blind man.
"They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly."
If we casually listen to this Gospel, our response might be: "Oh, Jesus heals a blind man. Another miracle just like the others in the Gospels. But if we go no deeper than this, we will miss the point of Mark's Gospel. If we follow the development of Mark's theme in this Gospel account, we will discover that this is a different and special cure because the blind man is healed in stages. First Jesus takes him apart from the crowd, leading him outside the village. Then after the usual procedures, Jesus asks him: "Can you see anything? Are things becoming clearer to you?"
This question is being asked of the blind man immediately prior to another question that Jesus asked His disciples: "Who do you say that I am? Are things becoming clearer to you?"
Mark is providing the Gospel narrative of the healing of the blind man as a backdrop to the more critical question that He is asking His disciples immediate after. He is symbolically setting the stage for the disciples to realize that we all need this touch of enlightenment to be able to see more clearly the person of Jesus and His mission among us. This is the only way we can integrate the full Gospel message into our lives.
These touches of enlightenment, these awakenings or coming to our senses, come through stages of growth. It particularly comes about as we set ourselves apart from the crowd and all the distractions that take our attention away, to be alone with Jesus.
"Can you see anything? Can you now see more clearly?" When Jesus tells us to go to our private room and shut the door to pray to our Father in secret, He does it for a reason.
Jesus' mission to us is to help us see more clearly. This is also the mission of the Church. We are here, we are called to help others see more clearly, to bring Christ alive in hearts of those who are struggling to believe.
No comments:
Post a Comment