topleft05.jpg (18208 bytes)HOMILY
Fourth Sunday in Lent (A)
10 March 02


 

What does it mean to possess “eyes of faith” so that a disciple can “look into the heart”?

Several years ago, a friend telephoned to tell me that I had upset and hurt her when we had last talked with one another.  Shocked and wondering to myself “Now what did I say?”, I asked my friend just what it was I said that had so upset and hurt her. She related in a very firm tone of voice what I had saidevery word was accuratebut she took what I had said in a way I had not intended.  When she finished her rendition, I was feeling pretty defensive.  I didn’t know whether I should bring out the canons and fire away, to reason with her so that she’d see things my way, or to listen for the truth of what she had to say.

So, I had a choice to make, just as Samuel did when he was selecting Israel’s next King.

Had I looked at my friend’s rendition “with human eyes” that judge solely by appearances, I could have chosen to respond by pointing the finger of blame everywhere but at myself.  I also could have chosen to offer all sorts of explanations and excuses.  Perhaps I could have chosen to deny all of it, claiming ignorance.  Or, I could have chosen to respond with anger.  I could also have written her out of my life for misinterpreting what I had said and judging me guilty of malice.  What kind of friend would ever do that?

“Seeing with human eyes,” I could have chosen any of these options, each of which would have insulated and protected me through the fig leaves of self-justification. I’d then never have to consider whether I had acted with malice.

Using the “eyes of faith” to look into the heart as God does, I could have chosen a different approach to respond to my friend’s statements.  I could have chosen to respond by recognizing that only a friend who really cares would be honest enough to remove my fig leaves and expose my lack of self-awareness.  I could also have chosen to respond by recognizing that her honesty was actually curing me of the blindness that had made it impossible for me to see the impact my words were having upon her.  And, I could also have chosen to respond by giving thanks to God for gracing me with a friend.

Seeing with the eyes faith and looking into my friend’s heart, I could have chosen any of these options, each of which would challenge me to mature spiritually.   And, that is not an easy thing to do...for any of us and especially me!

But, it is precisely what the season of Lent is all about.  These weeks are a time to see ourselves and others with the eyes of faith, to seek healing of our blindness, to amend our ways, and to mature spiritually as disciples in mission.

The conversation I had with my friend happens to people all of the time.  How often does a spouse ask, “Hun, what’s the matter?” only to be told “Nothing. Just leave me alone.”  How often do parents ask one of their children, “What’s caused you to be so moody?” only to be told “Nothing” and then watch the child storm out of the house or flee up the stairs, slamming the door to show that nothing is bothering him?  How often does a friend ask, “What’s eating at you?” only to hear a deafening silence from us or to receive our cold shoulder in return?

Because people love us as God loves us, they see into our hearts with the eyes of faith.  By being attentive to and listening to these people, we can mature spiritually as disciples in mission.  Unfortunately, though, isn’t it easier to run, to hide, and even, to dismiss these people, all in a vain attempt to seclude ourselves within the darkness of self-chosen blindness?

The consequences, however, are tragic as we wallow in blindness and self-pity, increasingly relying on appearances to make judgments.

Isn’t it easy to look about and to judge othersas Samuel judged Jesse's first seven sonsnot by looking into their heartsas God doesbut to judge people solely by their appearances?  As a little Lenten examination of conscience, you might ask: How often do I find myself deciding who to associate with judging people not by the content and quality of their characterlooking into their heartsbut judging solely by their appearances?

Isn’t it easier when someone looks at us with the eyes of the faith and points out the truthnamely, that we aren’t nearly as perfect as we pretend to beto point the finger of blame everywhere else, to make excuses and, perhaps, to cover up the truth?  As a little Lenten examination of conscience, you might ask: How often do I find myself writing the people who have been honest with me out of your life…all because I don’t want to be honest with myself?  Now, study the length of your list of names to appreciate just how much you see people with human eyes.

And, perhaps worst of all, isn’t it easier to look around at everyone else’s various imperfections andbecause we look at them with human eyesto not associate with them and, even, to reject them because we refuse to look into their heartsas God doeswith the eyes of faith?  Just for a moment, consider the people who have hurt you so that you have decided, “I will never talk to that person again.”  As a little Lenten examination of conscience, you might ask: How many people have I written out of my life because I’ve judged them guilty of sin and completely undeserving of my forgiveness?

The prophet Samuel allowed himself to be trapped by his self-chosen blindness.  He knew what he wanted the new King of Israel to look like.  And, as Samuel searched for God’s anointed, Samuel used human eyes to judge the candidates merely by the external standard of appearances.  Because of his self-chosen blindness, Samuel duped himself into thinking that Jesse’s first six sons were God’s anointed.

But, God saw things differently and intervened, challenging Samuel to see with the eyes of the faith and to look more deeply into the heart of each of Samuel’s sons.  Rather than using as a standard what Samuel wanted the next King of Israel to look like, God challenged Samuel to mature spiritually and to learn how to judge as God does, by using the eyes of faith to look into the heart.  And so it happened that the candidate possessing the least credentials was God’s anointed and proved himself over time (remember David sinned grievously to have Bathsheba) to be the greatest of Israel’s kings, David.

Let there be no doubt about it.  It is hard to look at ourselves with the eyes of faith.  And, we also all know that its very hard to listen to someone speak the truth to us.  Absent couragewhich is a sign of spiritual maturitywe may dismiss those impelled by love of God and neighbor to heal our blindness because we stubbornly refuse to admit the truth they speak.  But, it also takes a lot of courage to act when we look at others with the eyes of faith.  We all know how hard it is to utter the truth to a spouse, a child, or a friend.  Yet, absent this courage, we won’t speak the truth to others because we allow fear to hold us back.

In today’s gospel, Jesus healed the man born blind not just of his physical blindness but, more importantly, of his spiritual blindness. The man healed of blindness now sees things as they truly are and he slowly begins to perceive a lack of faithblindnessin his fellow Jews. The one who once was blind now sees and begins to teach those who claim to see but in reality are blind.

This fourth Sunday of Lent marks the mid-point of our annual focus upon sin and our need as disciples in mission to turn from sin and to embrace a “gospel way of life.”  This Sunday’s readings challenge us to assess whether and to what degree see into the heart with eyes of faith. Two questions are paramount:

First: Do we see ourselves as we truly are?

If we are so cocksure of our opinions that we don’t listen to or appreciate the merit of what others have to say, it is important to recognize that we are freely embracing blindness rather than spiritual maturity.  And, as we sidestep issues and resort to denial or arguing, what we are really doing is to turn away from the grace of the Lenten season and freely choosing to live in the darkness of our self-chosen blindness.  As today’s gospel indicates, Jesus did not come to promote blindness but sight.

Second: Do we help others to see themselves as they truly are?

Many times we see very clearly, but we choose to embrace blindness.  Only later do we offer the excuse, “Gosh, I saw that coming.”  When we look into the heart using the eyes of faith, God’s love impels us to muster up the courage, to step in, and to challenge those who becoming blind.  And, if we fail to muster the courage to speak the truth, we are turning our backs on the God who has restored our sightlike the man born blindto see sin, and to keep it from ruining lives.

Yes, it’s very easy to talk about “disciples in mission” and to say a little prayer each week that God will enable us to go forth as disciples in mission.  But, today’s readings remind us that discipleship entails something more than just uttering a prayer or having vague hopes.  Discipleship also requires possessing the capacity to look into the heartour own and othersthrough the eyes of faith.

Our mission as disciples requires that we allow the Lord to heal our blindness so that we might look into our own hearts with the eyes of faith, to turn from sin, and to embrace a gospel way of life.

But, that’s only one half of the challenge of discipleship.

The other half involves looking into the hearts of others through the eyes of faith.  Our mission is to allow God’s love present in our hearts to heal their blindness so that these people might also look into their hearts with the eyes of faith, turn from sin, and embrace a gospel way of life.

For disciples in mission, this is the path to spiritual maturity.

 

 

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