Seeing God Once Again
March 26, 2017
by Andrew Domingo
by Andrew Domingo
"If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." John 9:25
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Many of you probably had already heard this famous Christian Hymn. It was written by John Newton, an Anglican clergyman. The beauty of this hymn is as beautiful as its writer’s story of conversion.
John Newton was not always a religious person. He was a former slave trader. One of the turning points of his life was when a violent storm battered his ship severely while he was sailing across Ireland. During the ordeal, he called out for God’s mercy. This marked his spiritual conversion. He eventually left the slave trade and started studying theology. He considered himself a wretched, lost, and blind person. Yet he was saved and he was found. And he can now see.
“Was blind but now I see.”
John Newton was not biologically blind. He was spiritually blind. He did not see at first the wrongness of his actions. Before the slave trade was outlawed, many saw the African slaves as non-humans. Most of them were treated like animals. Despite the gift of natural sight, there are times wherein we will fail to truly see.
There are those who can see, but cannot see.
There are those who cannot see, but can truly see.
Am I truly seeing?
In today’s gospel, Jesus healed a man who was blind since his birth. In Jesus’ time, blindness was often attributed as a result of one’s sins. The pharisees kept on questioning the man who was formerly blind as to who healed him. They did not want to believe the man’s testimony – that the man who healed him was a prophet sent by God, for it was forbidden to do any work during the Sabbath. Jesus was considered sinful by the Pharisees because he broke the law. But for Jesus, a good work is a good work. He was sent by God to preach his goodness and the law will not stop him from doing such. While the Pharisees refused to “see” the reality of Jesus’ message, the blind man who can now see abided by his testimony of healing – that it was Jesus who healed him. In the end, Jesus introduced himself to the healed man as the Son of Man, of which the man truly believed. The man can now truly see.
Let us reflect today’s gospel by examining the things our eyes see everyday.
Let us look at ourselves and our neighbors.
What do we see in us?
What do we see in them?
With help of God’s grace, let us pray that we may truly be witnesses and living testimonies His goodness. Let us help each other see the light. Let us help each other vanquish the blindness of sin. For those who can truly see, help the blind see like Jesus did.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." John 9:25
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Many of you probably had already heard this famous Christian Hymn. It was written by John Newton, an Anglican clergyman. The beauty of this hymn is as beautiful as its writer’s story of conversion.
John Newton was not always a religious person. He was a former slave trader. One of the turning points of his life was when a violent storm battered his ship severely while he was sailing across Ireland. During the ordeal, he called out for God’s mercy. This marked his spiritual conversion. He eventually left the slave trade and started studying theology. He considered himself a wretched, lost, and blind person. Yet he was saved and he was found. And he can now see.
“Was blind but now I see.”
John Newton was not biologically blind. He was spiritually blind. He did not see at first the wrongness of his actions. Before the slave trade was outlawed, many saw the African slaves as non-humans. Most of them were treated like animals. Despite the gift of natural sight, there are times wherein we will fail to truly see.
There are those who can see, but cannot see.
There are those who cannot see, but can truly see.
Am I truly seeing?
In today’s gospel, Jesus healed a man who was blind since his birth. In Jesus’ time, blindness was often attributed as a result of one’s sins. The pharisees kept on questioning the man who was formerly blind as to who healed him. They did not want to believe the man’s testimony – that the man who healed him was a prophet sent by God, for it was forbidden to do any work during the Sabbath. Jesus was considered sinful by the Pharisees because he broke the law. But for Jesus, a good work is a good work. He was sent by God to preach his goodness and the law will not stop him from doing such. While the Pharisees refused to “see” the reality of Jesus’ message, the blind man who can now see abided by his testimony of healing – that it was Jesus who healed him. In the end, Jesus introduced himself to the healed man as the Son of Man, of which the man truly believed. The man can now truly see.
Let us reflect today’s gospel by examining the things our eyes see everyday.
Let us look at ourselves and our neighbors.
What do we see in us?
What do we see in them?
With help of God’s grace, let us pray that we may truly be witnesses and living testimonies His goodness. Let us help each other see the light. Let us help each other vanquish the blindness of sin. For those who can truly see, help the blind see like Jesus did.