Witness Our Healing

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today opens our mind to texts which reveal the tendencies of our nature to see what we want to see and reject that which challenges our comfort with the way things are. The passage from the Book of Samuel describes the anointing of the youngest and least likely of the sons of Jesse, David, to be become the next King of Israel. The Prophet Samuel learns and teaches that God does not judge by appearance but sees the human heart. Friar Jude Winkler extends the theme of the inability to see to the comparison of life in the light and sin in the dark which is delivered to the Ephesians by Paul. Perhaps a great misconception of believers is that the actions which we keep to ourselves are not visible to others. We might concede that there are no secrets from God but we are not convinced that the deeds we keep secret find their way into the habits and actions of our visible life. Our witness to the healing which is happening in our lives through our relationship with Jesus can bring even more light and life to others when we are can see how our whole self is called to serve the well being of others. Our witness is to a world which largely does judge by appearance and which has constructed the modern nation state to adjudicate the right and wrong or the economically responsible way to bring physical healing, housing, food and sustenance to our brothers and sisters. Gerald Darring of St Louis University notes the social justice blindness which causes us to not recognize people because of our comfort with the stereotypes provided by our culture. Gary DeLashmutt sees in the development of the witness of the man born blind to the action of Jesus as a clear call for us to be witness to the healing Jesus brings to our life and vision.  Paddy Gilger, S.J. of CreightonUniversity identifies the trial and rejection which we may face as we stand with and in Jesus to bring truth and light to life events. Friar Jude comments that this passage from the Gospel from John shows a Christology where Jesus is presented first as a man who healed and finally in self declaration as I AM, the Hebrew Testament naming of God. The certainty that Jesus accompanies the witness from healing, through expulsion from the synagogue, to disciple of truth and Love gives us strength to step into the light.