Friday, March 04, 2005

Blindness

Jesus then said, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind." John 9: 39

We are showing "The Soul of the Game" at the house tonight. I hope to have 10 to 20 people here (and hope there aren't many more than that!) It's an interesting little movie. IMDB summary states "Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson are the greatest players in the Colored leagues, and everyone expects that one of them will make the leap to the Major Leagues, now that there is talk of integration. But, unexpectedly, it's the rookie with the army record, Jackie Robinson, that gets tapped to be the first."

We are tying in with this movie the lectionary in John about the man born blind. The real action in the passage occurs not with the man himself -- his replies to his questioners with short little and perhaps timid statements. The mud poultice is an interesting touch -- God (Christ) spitting into the dust of the earth, from where God took man in the beginning and applying the resulting mud onto the man's eyes, healing him. That's interesting. For me, however, it is the discussion about sin and blame and fault and perceived blindness and real blindness and spiritual blindness that is really interesting. Americans allowed all sorts of people to play ball -- Jews, Italians, Mexicans, Cubans, Indians -- all sorts of people -- except for African Americans. There were so many talented players, and yet the ball clubs were blind to the talent and promise of these men. Who was blind? Who sinned?

Today, where are we blind to prejudice? Is it still the handicapped? Is it still race? Is it gender? Is it sexual orientation?

BBT writes "How were your eyes opened? Where is the man who did it? How could he do that? What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes? Not one living soul says, "Alleluia!" or "Thank God!" No one asks him what it is like to see for the first time or whether the light hurts his eyes. All they want to know is how, who, where and what." (Article found here.

More here about The Jackie Robinson Foundation - About Jackie.

1 comment:

~pen~ said...

rev. mom, this was the Gospel at all masses this weekend. this particular passage alone one could to a study on - it is brilliant (thanks, st. john...)

my hub and i were talking about it last night - which stands out more - the pharisees getting preturbed over a healing taking place on the sabbath? the parents, deeply entrenched in their own religiosity, passing the buck to their son who would undoubtedly lose any (if he had any) standing at the synagogue? the unending round of questions (instead of blessing God)?

what stood out to me most (and i don't know if this is even in keeping with the spirit of your thread) is the fact that Jesus made a poultice out of mud and for the man to be healed, he had to actually do something. it was not immediate, but because of his obedience that he was healed, and later because of his profession of The One Who Healed him, he was saved (think 10 lepers, all cleansed and healed, 1 returned glorifying God and was saved).

is that not what God wants of us? sure, He can provide miraculous cures in order that God be glorified (as in the man born blind), but He also demands obedience and allegiance when it happens, and that really occurs with most of us in real life.

this is the stuff i think of at 5:00 a.m. :)