REFLECTION:
John 9:1-41
The simple fact is that Jesus healed the blind man. Someone who previously could not see was blessed with the gift of sight. What happens after that in today’s Gospel is a sharp warning against following the letter of the law but forgetting why we are following it in the first place.
It’s true: what Jesus did would have been seen as contentious, and not only by Scribes and Pharisees. The religious laws and actions that the people of that culture followed were incredibly specific. Even now, for some modern-day religions, the punishments for what may seem like very small omissions are punishable by real and lasting violence, not least by being shunned by your own community, let alone physical violence. It was even worse then, though.
So, what Jesus did was extraordinary. He knew this. He understood that the repercussions of healing someone on the Sabbath would have led to hot and dangerous debate in the community. He didn’t back down. The real blindness that Jesus is trying to heal is that of the Pharisees and Scribes. And this can invite us to question ourselves.
Can our personal understanding of God, of Jesus, make us blind? Can the way that we might bend the Gospel so that we follow it in a more comfortable way undermine our status as Christians? Can we be pleasant to some but unpleasant to others, welcoming to some but dismissive of others? After all, what is a Christian but someone who follows Christ and tries to be his ambassador?
Lent is a wonderful opportunity to realign ourselves with Christ. How are we going to do this today?
Mount St Joseph Abbey msjroscrea.ie Intercom Mar 2026
