Gospel Reflection Luke 18:35-43

In today’s Gospel passage, we read about Jesus giving sight to a blind man. As the healer par excellence, Jesus fulfills what was said about Him by the prophet Isaiah. It hearkens to the time when Jesus says to the disciples of John the Baptist “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” (Luke 7:22)

This account has two notable polarities that we should not overlook. On the one side, we read about the crowd rebuking the blind man as he calls out for mercy. Imagine being in this group of people. Surely, you would take the high road and silence those seeking to shut down the blind man, right? Or, would you encourage the blind man, just like the friends of the paralytic who opened a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was? How strong is our faith? Our sensibilities and dignity may get the better of us. We worry too much about what other people think, thus we may not want to trouble the Good Teacher. Yet, in so doing, we would risk missing the very mission of the Teacher! 

On the other side, after the man is healed the crowd rejoices and rightly praises God. This is the proper response to any work of the Lord. Yet, in many cases, it is difficult to suppress our befuddlement. Why did God choose to heal him and not me? These are often reasonable questions that point to a deep mystery, allowing us to journey further into God. However, in other cases, our petty jealousies rear their ugly heads. When God heals someone or blesses them with a gift, like a promotion at work, we tend not to be genuinely happy for the other person. To share in the joy of others in Christ, to not be focused on ourselves and what we perceive not having, is a mark of growth in our faith. It is only possible by participating more deeply in the grace and love given to us by the Lord Jesus. We should rejoice openly whenever we see God at work, which will be more often the more attentive we are.