Seeing ourselves...as God sees us

 - March 25, 2017

 

How do we see ourselves? How do we see God? And most importantly, how does God see us? “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (I Sam. 16) In these words from today’s first reading, we are presented with the invitation and challenge to learn to see as God sees. And that means not remaining content with the level of outward appearances, but asking Jesus, the true light of the world, to “open the eyes of our hearts,” to give us the gift of a vision that pierces the surface and goes to the heart of the matter.

We also hear today the powerful story of the healing encounter between Jesus and a man born blind. His one desire: “Open my eyes, Lord: help me to see your face. Help me to see!” We all need to have our eyes opened. Lent is given to us each year so that we might see our reality with new eyes, new vision, a new perspective. And part of that perspective is the insight that all is gift. Every aspect of my life – yes, even the struggles and difficulties – is part of the way that God is present to me, pouring his life into me. Yet sometimes, there are realities that we do not want to face. Fear, shame, complacency, resistance to conversion – all of these can make us reluctant to embrace the shift required to look upon ourselves as God sees us – and to see others as God sees them.

As I hear this Gospel, with whom do I spontaneously identify? Am I the blind man: conscious of my defects, trusting in God’s power to heal that which is incomplete and broken in me, recognizing Jesus as my healer, Lord and Saviour? Can I relate to the blind man in his experience of feeling labeled by society, misunderstood by family, unwelcome in his religious community? Or is there a bit of the Pharisee in me: reluctant to allow God to work outside the predetermined boxes that reflect my view of the world?

Wherever we find ourselves, we all stand in need of conversion, of healing, of renewed vision. We need this personally; we need to do it communally. There are many ways we might consider in response to this invitation: A day of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reading? Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation? A visit to a sick relative or a lonely neighbor? A sacrificial gift in support of the work of the parish, or the Development and Peace Lenten campaign? Whatever we choose, let us ask Jesus to “open the eyes of our hearts,” to see as he sees.