Blindness that is Curable
The Light of Christ Dispels Darkness
A blind man who lives in my apartment complex was recently turned around and lost. He was facing a wall adjacent to the elevator and unsuccessfully searching for the buttons. When I walked into the hallway, he said “Hello? Who is there?” I said my name out loud and asked if I could take his arm and lead him to the elevator. He accepted my help and thanked me.
I thought a lot about how difficult life must be for a blind person. He has a good friend who is usually with him, and as it turns out, that time, she was waiting for him downstairs in the parking garage. Nevertheless, that brief encounter reminded me always to be grateful for sight.
Then I remembered one of the most moving scenes I’ve ever watched in a movie. It was the famous 1962 movie entitled “The Miracle Worker,” a biographical film about the childhood of Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf as a result of a serious illness. The real tear-jerker is the scene in which Helen, thanks to the fearless and persistent patience of her tutor, makes a profound discovery — the water she feels poured on her hand has a name [as she feels simultaneously the word “water” signed into her hand]. The big revelation is not only does water have a name but everything else does too!
On that day, Helen could “see” in a very real sense of the word; her understanding was illuminated by inner light, thereby opening the child to endless possibilities. She eventually earned a college degree and became a well-known author, civil rights activist, guest speaker, and devout Christian.
There is a blindness that can afflict all of us at one time or another. It happens when we fail to look at what is really important in life. We become overly enamored with financial success, security, or perhaps celebrity. Before long, we have lost sight of the only thing that matters.
Each of us was put on this earth for a purpose — to enjoy a loving relationship with the God who made us. He has put signs everywhere to lead us to discover Him.
He even wrote himself into the human story as One who lived among us and died for us!
Spiritual blindness is the most horrible affliction anyone can suffer. Fortunately, this kind of blindness is curable. As proof of someone who was “cured” of spiritual blindness, consider this line from the well-loved song, “Amazing Grace”: “I once was lost and now am found, was blind and now I see.”
The before and after testimonies of countless numbers of Christians attest to the validity of the existence of spiritual sight. It is as real, if not more so, than physical. When a person reaches out through prayer to God, He will respond.
There are so many resources to help all of us on our journey to establish a friendship with God. Jesus gave Peter the keys and established God’s Church on earth. It is called “Catholic” because that word means only “universal.” Everyone is welcome!
The Catholic Church has been graced with the teaching authority by Jesus Christ so that everyone who wants to follow Jesus can belong to His visible Church on earth.
Not everyone who follows Jesus will experience a dramatic conversion experience or even the type of sudden realization that Helen Keller had. However, every baptized Christian does become grafted to the Body of Christ — His Church on earth. And if one continues to grow in faith and virtue and in the love of God, that person will be blessed with an inner sight and peace that cannot be taken away. It may happen slowly, but it will happen. We have a promise from Jesus: “…the one who seeks, finds…” (Matt. 7: 8).
A star led the Magi to the stable to greet the newborn king, Jesus of Nazareth.
This Sunday, we celebrate that event with the Feast of the Epiphany. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation” so in this context, the Church commemorates the first manifestation of Christ’s divinity when the wise men or Magi traveled from the East to see a new king…and see him they did.
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
