To be able to see is a wonderful gift, but how we see is important. Today’s readings challenge us to see as God sees, as best we can. In the first reading, God sent Samuel to Jesse, telling him that one of Jesse’s sons had been selected by God to be king of Israel. Samuel mistakenly thought that Eliab must be the chosen one based on his appearance, but God corrected him. David, the youngest and supposedly therefore the least important, was the one chosen by God, because God could see into his heart. God saw what Samuel and Jesse could not. Likewise, in the Gospel, the Pharisees could not look beyond the fact that Jesus restored the blind man’s sight on the sabbath. According to their vision, Jesus must be a sinner because He wasn’t following the rules; they looked through the lens of their rigid rules, and were blind to the events unfolding around them (and to the person responsible). Jesus not only gave the blind man his physical sight, but He also opened the eyes of his heart so that he could begin to see who Jesus really was. The Pharisees were never able to do this; the eyes of their hearts remained firmly shut. How we look at people and situations is important. Do we judge a situation or a person by appearances, according to the way society says we should? Or are we able to see with our heart’s eyes, as God tells us we should? If you are like me, it is a skill that takes lots of practice; it is far easier to see as the world tells us we should. Lent is a good time to take the blinders off and exercise the eyes of our hearts. Reflection by parishioner, John Ceglarek