Do I try to see the world through God’s eyes? Too often we are myopic which is to say we view our surroundings based upon our own experiences. We may see the world in a cynical manner because we’ve been treated poorly. Or the opposite may occur and we have an unrealistic optimism about life. We view the world through rose-colored glasses.
But Jesus invites us to see the world with the eyes of faith and attempt to view life as God sees life. Because we are human we often fail to take into account other perspectives. I heard once that there are three sides to every argument: my side, the other side, and the truth. In reality, only God has the whole picture of any situation. We can only know what we have seen or heard. However, God challenges us to widen our world view and attempt to see the “other side” of an issue.
This is difficult because our perspective may be clouded by sin, by cynicism, by optimism, by anger, by hurt, by a lack of knowledge, by loyalty or by any host of things. The man born blind was freed from his blindness and became a disciple of the Lord. The Pharisees however persisted in their spiritual blindness because of their hatred of Jesus. They refused to see God’s presence even though there was clear evidence.
This week ask the intercession of the man born blind to assist you in seeing the world through the eyes of God. In other words, ask for the gift of having a broader perspective on life in order that you may be open to seeing God at work through others. May we gain the ability to see multiple sides of an issue in order to come to knowledge of the truth.
Next Saturday, March 25, please join us here in church for a special concert by the Michigan Flute Orchestra at 7 PM.
There are several opportunities to participate in Communal Penance services this Lent: Tuesday March 21st at 7 PM at St. Lawrence; Thursday March 23rd at 7 PM here at St. Therese; Saturday March 25 at 1 PM at St. Kieran; Monday March 27 at 7 PM at St. John Vianney; Monday April 3 at 7 PM at St. Isidore.
Have a great week,
Msgr. John