Blind

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Blind

Self-Exam

Our Own Sins

Remove the Wooden Beam

Vision

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Luke 6:42

Jesus said,

"Remove the wooden beam from your own eye first; then you will be able to see more clearly to remove the splinter in your sister's and brother's eye."

Reflection

Sometimes we take things for granted.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to have sight don't realize what a blessing it is. We have to become more sensitive to those who are blind.

One way to reflect on that is to think of the ways that we are blind. Do we ever walk by those in need and just ignore them?

Do we sometimes overlook difficulties friends are facing as we are talking with them because we are too busy concentrating on a problem we are facing?

Are we blind sometimes to the struggles of our sisters and brothers who are fighting for justice because they might be of a different race or cultural background?

It is good to take a self-exam and look at how we are doing on the blindness scale. Are there things we could be doing better? Who are the people we need to reach out to?

Our own sins can blind us to those areas in our life where we need to make changes. We can be too self-centered and selfish. We sometimes concentrate on our own needs and don't realize the needs of others, especially those who are on the margins of our society. It is easy to overlook and ignore when our sight is limited.

Our vision can be blocked by the wooden beam of our insensitivity. When that happens, all we concentrate on is ourselves. 

I have had many conversations with people who complain that they don't have a nicer car or a bigger home. When we reflect together on those who live without food or shelter and who have no access to medical care, their eyes are open to how fortunate they are and to our responsibility to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need.

Jesus gives us the right vision in our passage from Luke. He is telling us to look at our own behaviors first and to work on that wooden beam that blocks our eyesight. After we remove that huge beam, we can see clearly.

When we have that accurate vision, we will see what our neighbors really need and can help them to achieve it. Our vision then will more closely be aligned with what Jesus wants.

It has been my experience that our sisters and brothers who are physically blind are many times more sensitive to reaching out to others who are in need. Let us follow their vision and the vision of Jesus to bring God's compassionate Love to all.

Those wooden beams have to go!

1. What are some things that you have taken for granted in your life?

2. What have you found to be the most persistent blind spots in your life?

3. When is the last time that you did a self-exam about your own blind spots?

4. What are some of those wooden beams that you have to remove so that you will see more clearly?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)