The Light Changes What We See
Light is one of the most mysterious elements of creation.
Its absence changes everything. Darkness can make a familiar place feel frightening, cold, or lonely. But morning light changes the same room. It can bring warmth, hope, peace, even joy.
Scripture uses that physical reality to help us understand something spiritual.
St. Paul tells us that we were once darkness, but now we are “light in the Lord.” The light of Christ produces goodness, righteousness, and truth.
That gives us a question worth sitting with:
Is there goodness, righteousness, and truth growing in my heart?
Surely there is some.
But if we are honest, there is darkness there too.
Impatience. Anger. Greed. Selfishness. Pride. Envy. Laziness.
St. Paul calls these the fruitless works of darkness.
Sin may give us a moment of satisfaction or excitement, but what lasting fruit does it actually produce?
Christ offers something entirely different.
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
Learning to See
The Gospel gives us a man who has been blind from birth.
Jesus explains that his blindness is not a punishment for his sin or his parents’ sin. Rather, through him, the works of God will become visible.
Jesus makes clay, puts it on the man’s eyes, and tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam.
He washes.
And he can see.
But physical sight is only the beginning of the story.
The first reading reminds us that human beings tend to look at appearances, while God looks into the heart.
That is exactly what happens in the Gospel.
Everyone witnesses the same basic event, but they do not all see the same thing.
The healed man gradually recognizes who Jesus is. First, Jesus is simply “the man called Jesus.” Then the man calls Him a prophet. Eventually, when Jesus asks if he believes in the Son of Man, the man responds in faith and worships Him.
His physical sight has become spiritual sight.
The Pharisees move in the opposite direction.
They can physically see perfectly well. They see the miracle. They hear the testimony.
And yet they refuse to believe.
The same light shines on everyone.
One man allows it to lead him toward faith.
Others resist what the light reveals.
What Happens When the Light Shines on Us?
Christ’s light does more than make us feel warm or comforted.
Light reveals things.
Sometimes it reveals goodness we had not noticed.
Sometimes it reveals sin we would rather leave hidden.
That is part of the meaning of judgment in this Gospel. Christ's presence reveals what is actually in the human heart.
The Pharisees are given an opportunity to see themselves truthfully. Their pride, envy, and desire for control are exposed.
They could repent.
Instead, they resist.
And we face the same choice.
When Christ shines His light into our hearts, will we let Him show us what is there?
Will we allow Him into the places we would rather keep comfortable and untouched?
Do we really want to be free from sin?
Because if we do, we have to be willing to see it first.
Anointed to See Differently
There is beautiful baptismal imagery in this Gospel, especially as the Church celebrates the Second Scrutiny with those preparing for Baptism.
Jesus anoints the blind man’s eyes with clay and sends him to wash.
Afterward, something about him seems different. Even his neighbors debate whether he is the same man they knew before.
An encounter with Christ should change us too.
Through Baptism, we have received a new way of seeing.
Many people look at the world primarily through the lens of power, money, status, fear, suspicion, or control.
Christ gives us another lens.
Faith.
Seeing through the eyes of faith does not mean being naive. Jesus is not naive about suffering, sin, or the brokenness of the world.
Faith means learning to see reality with Christ.
It means asking Him to anoint our eyes so that we can recognize truth, goodness, and His presence more clearly.
For Moms
Motherhood gives us countless opportunities to discover how we are seeing.
A child can make a mistake, and we can see only the inconvenience it creates.
A teenager can struggle, and fear can immediately show us the worst possible future.
Someone can disappoint us, and suddenly everything they do gets filtered through frustration.
We can even look at ourselves through a distorted lens: I should be doing more. I should have handled that better. Everyone else seems to have this figured out.
Christ invites us to see differently.
Not to ignore problems or pretend darkness is light.
But to ask: Jesus, how do You see this?
How do You see this child?
How do You see this situation?
How do You see me?
And just as importantly: What are You trying to show me about my own heart?
Sometimes the light of Christ will reassure us.
Sometimes it will challenge us.
Both are grace.
Questions to Sit With
- Where in my life am I currently seeing primarily through fear, frustration, control, comparison, or suspicion?
- Is there something Christ may be trying to reveal in me that I would rather not see?
- What would it look like to see one difficult person or situation through the eyes of faith this week?
Family Practice
At bedtime one evening this week, turn off the lights for a moment and talk about how different everything feels in darkness.
Then turn on a light and pray together:
“Jesus, You are the Light of the World. Help us to see as You see and to choose what is good and true.”
Keep it simple. Let the physical change from darkness to light help your children remember what Christ does in us.