March 30

John 9:1-17 

So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” ~ John 9: 17 

If you had been blind from birth, then healed by a stranger, it would be easy to believe your healer was sent by God. However, if you were a Pharisee whose life was centered on your knowledge of the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law, a God-sent healer would not fit into your reality. Seen through the ego’s distorted lens of self-aggrandizement, your way of life, your power and exalted status would be threatened by this incident. Jesus would be viewed as a sinner because he worked on the Sabbath. 

Like those Pharisees of old, we sometimes fool ourselves; we see what we expect or want to see. However, Lent is a time for self-appraisal, and we should examine our own distorted lenses. We have cloaked our sinfulness with rationalizations or denials. We excuse our misdeeds by declaring our motives to be good, or excusing our behavior as a reflection of today’s culture. We give little thought to what is really valuable. We blind ourselves to the truth. It takes courage and undaunted effort to reveal our shortcomings.

It takes hard work to change for the better, but God awaits our call for help and accompanies us on our journey to healing. During this Lenten season, we can face the truth; we can choose to die to old, sinful ways of being. We can be reborn into a more God-centered life.