Posted by The WORD in other words (2021) by Fr. Emil Pati, SVD (Claveria, Cagayan)
Monday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
Photo: St Michael, the Archangel Parish, Irosin, Sorsogon
A similar story shared by a columnist is worth retelling to reflect on today’s Gospel: There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I will marry you.”
One day someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyes shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them for the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her, saying, “Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.”
In life, our utmost admiration goes to people who are ready to sacrifice everything to help others. They make their presence felt, especially during disasters and social disturbances. These are selfless people who, after making other people happy, comfortable, and secured, step aside and let these ‘beneficiaries’ enjoy their new being. Should there be some feeling of ingratitude and failed commitment, people of this sort exhibit no grievances.
So exemplary and educating indeed is the deep love the man in our story has to his beloved. Despite the failed love relationship, on the part of his beloved, he harbored no grudge and resentment against her. In a sense, he personifies the unconditional love of God in His Son Jesus Christ.
In restoring the man’s lost sight, Jesus enables us also to see by healing our spiritual blindness. Thus, through faithful following of Jesus, others may be led to give glory and praise to God. Amen.
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