20200219
REMOVING
THE BLINDNESS FROM OUR EYES
19 February,
2020, Wednesday, 6th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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James 1:19-27 ©
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The Word is not only to be listened to, but obeyed
Remember this, my
dear brothers: be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your
temper; God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger; so do away with all
the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and
submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But
you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive
yourselves. To listen to the word and not obey is like looking at your own
features in a mirror and then, after a quick look, going off and immediately
forgetting what you looked like. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect
law of freedom and makes that his habit – not listening and then
forgetting, but actively putting it into practice – will be happy in all
that he does.
Nobody
must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and
not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of
religion. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming
to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself
uncontaminated by the world.
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Responsorial
Psalm
|
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Psalm 14(15):2-5 ©
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The
just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Lord,
who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He
who walks without fault;
he
who acts with justice
and
speaks the truth from his heart;
he
who does not slander with his tongue.
The
just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He
who does no wrong to his brother,
who
casts no slur on his neighbour,
who
holds the godless in disdain,
but
honours those who fear the Lord.
The
just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He
who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who
takes no interest on a loan
and
accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such
a man will stand firm for ever.
The
just will live in the presence of the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:105
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Your
word is a lamp for my steps
and a
light for my path.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.Ep1:17,18
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten
the eyes of our mind,
so
that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 8:22-26 ©
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The blind man was cured and could see everything distinctly
Jesus and his
disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom
they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside
the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he
asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I
can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then
he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and
he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home,
saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’
REMOVING THE
BLINDNESS FROM OUR EYES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JAMES 1:19-27; MARK 8:22-26 ]
In the first reading, St
James warns us of our tendency to react to situations that we meet each day. This is particularly so for events
that are unpleasant or disagreeable to us. It is natural for us in the
face of danger, opposition and perceived hostility to get angry, lose our
temper and shout as a way to show our authority. The truth is that when
we allow our anger and defences to surface, we are not dealing with the
problems and challenges squarely. Instead, we are just reacting out of
fear and protectionism. Often, our anger will cloud us from seeing the
issues and problems objectively. Shouting and screaming is worse because
it means no one is listening, including ourselves. Anger is used as a
weapon to silence the mouths of our opponents, but we cannot silence their
hearts because they have not been won over.
That is why, when a
leader or a superior cannot control his tongue, weigh his words carefully when
he speaks, yells and berates his subordinates and those whom he disagrees with,
he betrays his weakness as a leader. “Nobody must imagine that he is religious while
he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue;
anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion.” A leader who cannot
control his tongue is also one who cannot control his thoughts and his
emotions. A wise leader must be focused, able to distance himself
from the problem and remain calm. He must act not out of fear but
because it is the best thing do and the right way to go. A godly man is
always calm, gentle and at peace with himself. Even when there is turmoil
outside of him, he is at peace with himself, his neighbours and with God.
St James exhorts us, “be
quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God’s
righteousness is never served by man’s anger; so do away with all the impurities and bad habits
that are still left in you.” Indeed, when we are angry, we will only be
thinking of how to respond to our opponents, how to put them down or destroy
them. We are not dealing with the issues our opponents are unhappy
about. That is why justice, as St James wrote, cannot be “served by man’s
anger.” Underlying our reaction are the “impurities and bad
habits”, namely, our ego, pride and fear.
Today, we need to turn
to Jesus who has come to heal the blind. This was His mission. Citing from Isaiah
at the beginning of His ministry, He read, “He has sent me to proclaim release
to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the
oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk 4:18f) In the gospel, we read how
“Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a
blind man whom they begged him to touch.” We too must bring ourselves to
the Lord to be healed of our blindness. The truth is that we are
like the disciples, so blind that we cannot see. It is significant
that this episode is just placed before St Peter’s Confession of faith in
Christ as the Son of the Living God. We are no better than the disciples
and the religious leaders who witnessed the multiplication of loaves, Jesus
walking on the water, calming the storm and still asked for a sign. (Cf Mk 8:1-13) Just like them, we do not
seem to understand what the Lord is telling us. The Lord reprimanded
them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not
perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and
fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?”(Mk 8:17-21) So we are blind to the truth
of the events. The real blindness is when we are blind to the fact that
we are spiritually and intellectually blind.
The way to discover the
truth is to begin by listening to what our opponents are unhappy about, the
issues that they are fighting for.
Listening without prejudice, without seeking to defend one’s position but
trying to identify with our enemies’ unhappiness and grievances is the first
step. This listening is more than just hearing what the person is saying
but trying to feel with the person so that we can better understand where the
person is coming from; and to distinguish the words from the sentiments that
are unexpressed or hidden. Listening, therefore, requires humility,
an open heart and mind to hear and to receive. It is not about defending
one’s position but sincerely seeking to understand the dissenting views.
Then, we must remove
ourselves from the problem and seek solitude, away from the crowd. Very often, it is because we hear
too many voices that we do not know how to make a decision. This explains
why the Lord “took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the
village.” Away from the crowd, this man could then hear clearly what the
Lord had to say to him. Only then could his eyes be opened. How
true it is for us all today. There is simply so much information overload
from the internet that we are rendered paralyzed to tell what is good and
true. Even as a leader, sometimes it is difficult to make a decision
because we have different and contradicting voices telling us what to do. We
must go away to a place of solitude to hear the voice of God.
There is no better way
to discern than with the Word of God.
St James wrote, “Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you
and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just
listen to it and deceive yourselves.” We must look at the Word of God but
it is “the perfect law of freedom.” Only God’s word can give us the
proper guidance to what is right and wrong. Writing to Timothy, St Paul
said, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that
everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good
work.” (2 Tim 3:16) Indeed, no
discernment can be done without making reference to the Word of God. We
need God’s word to remain objective in judging.
Discerning, however, is
a gradual process, like the blind man who gradually recovered his sight. Initially, after the first
stage of healing, the man could only see people who looked like trees to
him. It was only when the Lord “laid his hands on the man’s eyes again
and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and
distinctly.” So, too, when it comes to removing our blindness. Few
of us see clearly all at once. Much time is needed to pray over issues
with the help of the Word of God, consult wise people, and most of all, through
detachment and humility from holding on to our views.
But having heard God’s
word, we must be ready to carry it out without fear or favour. The trouble is that many leaders
know what is the right thing to do, but because of possible drawbacks and
negative repercussions, to protect their interests, they remain quiet. We
do not want to earn their wrath and disfavor. This is true at every level
of life, on the international scene, at the national level, in our own offices
and in our families. Thus, St James made it clear, “To listen to the word
and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then, after a
quick look, going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like. But the
man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit –
not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice – will
be happy in all that he does.”
Indeed, we must strive
to walk in the presence of the Lord at all times. “Lord, who shall dwell on your holy
mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the
truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue. He
who does no wrong to his brother.” When we walk in truth and love, in
justice and compassion, we are living in the presence of God because we are
mindful that all our words and actions are seen by God, even hidden ones not
seen by men. Hence, the Lord, after healing the blind man, sent him home
and said to him, “Do not even go into the village.” In other words, do
not allow yourself as St James said, to be contaminated by the world.
“Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the
help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself
uncontaminated by the world.” It is living a life of compassion and justice.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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