“God is seen by those who have the capacity to see him, provided that they keep the eyes of their mind open. All have eyes, but some have eyes that are shrouded in darkness, unable to see the light of the sun. Because the blind cannot see it, it does not follow that the sun does not shine. The blind must trace the cause back to themselves and their eyes. In the same way, you have eyes in your mind that are shrouded in darkness because of your sins and evil deeds. A person’s soul should be clean, like a mirror reflecting light. If there is rust on the mirror his face cannot be seen in it.”
St. Theophilus of Antioch (2nd Century)
When infants are born, they are unable to focus their eyes. Light is just a blur of information. At birth, a baby’s vision is not nearly as good as a one-year old child. All the visual stimulation we take for granted is flooding into their eyes but their brains can’t process the information. They can’t really focus further than 8-10 inches beyond their nose, the distance of their mom and dad’s faces. They can’t coordinate the movement of their eyeballs or their hand eye coordination. By the time that they are crawling, they are learning to coordinate what they see with what they do. Learning to see continues throughout our lives because we see with our minds. Adults born blind have the same problem. If their eyesight becomes functional during their adult years, the visual stimulation is overwhelming. We don’t see merely on a physical level. Our brains need to learn how to see. In some sense, we see what we are trained to see. We sometimes see only what we expect to or want to see. That is our problem and the problem that the Pharisees face in today’s gospel.
The Man Born Blind When Jesus healed the man born blind, there were at least some there who knew that he was blind from birth. His parents, questioned by the Pharisees, certainly knew. Why did they pretend not to know? Why did the Pharisees not acknowledge the mans’ healing? If the Pharisees acknowledged that Jesus healed him on the Sabbath that would mean that Jesus was legitimate and call into question their leadership, authority and scriptural interpretations. Why do people refuse to see? Lots of reasons as varied as the individuals involved. The irony of this story is that as the man born blind comes to vision and acknowledges the Lord, others go blind.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy Last week I spoke about the corporal works of mercy; our need to see the needs of others and our acknowledgment of the human dignity of the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, imprisoned, the sick and the dead. The spiritual works of mercy, on the other hand, are designed to meet the spiritual needs of others. The spiritual works of mercy are to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinner, bear the wrongs of others patiently, forgive offenses, comfort the afflicted and pray for the living and the dead. The works of mercy join in the healing power of God and they are the means by which we grow in vision.
Instruct the ignorant Religion requires sound teaching, but is more than just information. Ignorance is not stupidity; it is just not knowing. Communicating Christian wisdom is a way of life, not merely a memorized lecture. Arguments are important, but are meaningless without authentic Christian life and care for the dignity of the other. My sister-in-law tells of growing up with seven different dads. We have to accept that others who come from a background of tremendous chaos just don’t see life the same way children of happy families do. When she wanted to convert, my dad, a convert himself told her, “You don’t have to convert; we love you.” She told my dad, “Jack, I want what you have.” Sometimes, people just don't know until they can see.
Counsel the doubtful Arguments and the reasonableness of faith matter, but are only part of the puzzle. To counsel the doubtful requires patience. God doesn’t need us to defend him, but these hurting doubters do need our forbearance. When we encounter people’s doubts, you must acknowledge that they have some basis for their distrust of the Church. Priest pedophilia, angry priests, angry Catholics and the reality that we all struggle just like them. Without doubt, the most important aspect of counseling the doubtful is to be worthy of another’s trust. The only way to help others come to clarity is a bridge of trust. Otherwise, our advice is useless.
Admonish the sinner I have a good friend that I used to hunt and fish with. He was living with his sweetheart. Both had been in very short, very unhappy marriages. Both had come from family backgrounds that were either indifferent to faith or actively hostile. One Sunday, I was sitting in the pews before mass at Sts. Peter and Paul. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my two friends. I knew they weren’t Catholic so I asked them what they were doing at mass. They told me that they were considering marriage and wanted to check out different religions. Our assistant pastor had asked me the previous week to be part of the RCIA team and so I invited them along. I was his sponsor, my sister was her sponsor and I was best man at their wedding and godfather to their son.
Why did he want to be a Catholic? When he looked back on his own troubled family life, his divorce and all the unhappiness that followed, the happy thing that he remembered was a Catholic family that he knew that invited him to dinner sometimes when he was a kid. He was a child of divorce himself, and instead of going home and making dinner for alone, he gathered with that family, said grace and saw a happier way of life. To admonish the sinner, you have to have something happier to offer. You cannot chase happiness. Happiness ensues from good life choices. Jesus does not need self-appointed scolds. Believe in the gospel, live it and share it.
Bear wrongs patiently Our job as disciples is to live the beauty of our faith, not to fix others. Accept your own strengths and weaknesses and it will be easier to bear others strengths along with their weaknesses.
Forgive offenses willingly In order to forgive offenses, you must first acknowledge that there is an offense. What has this person cost me? Add it up. Mercy is not saying that it is no big deal, don’t worry about it. Count the cost and then say I release you from your debt. Real forgiveness has to come from a place of strength. Doormats allow people to walk all over them because they lack the strength or ability to do anything else. A Christian who offers forgiveness may absorb another person’s act of callousness or injustice, but he does this by her free choice, aided by God’s grace and strength.
Comfort the afflicted Who do you talk to at a party? Do you every choose to sit with someone who could just use a friend because of illness, marital problems, children problems and the death of a loved one? Pope Francis said that the Church, meaning both you and me, is like a field hospital in the midst of battle. People have all sorts of wounds just like we do. Do not underestimate the power of a small gesture when someone has suffered real loss.
Pray for the living and the dead Pray for everyone, living and dead. Mostly, we believe that there is a pleasant after life, call it heaven, and that it is made for people like me. Purgation and purification are necessary before entering heaven, of which Scripture says, “Nothing unclean shall enter it” (Revelation 21:27). Just accept that everyone, living and dead, is like you. They struggle too and we all need the encouragement of prayer. Heaven is the communion of love between alive in God. I have pictures of my parents, family, some relatives and friends on my dresser that reminds me to start my day with prayer for the people I love.
We have to learn to see with mercy! The spiritual works of mercy focus on human social and spiritual needs. St. Theophilus noted that if we are rusty mirrors, God’s image is not reflected in us. The spiritual works of mercy reflect the mercy of God in each of us. When we die and are judged, we will see with clarity our ‘victims’ in life. They will rise before our eyes; those for whom we were a bad example, those who we refused to comfort, forgive are bear with patiently. We will feel our failure to be a model of faith. Will they look at us with mercy, compassion and forbearance? Will they pray for us? If we hope that others look upon us with mercy, let us look upon others likewise.