“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”
Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. The opposites of light and darkness respectively represent good and evil. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. (verse before the Gospel) When we follow Jesus, we walk in the light. Jesus is the source of light. Our lives must reflect the light of Christ. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff. We always remember that it is Jesus Christ who safely leads us through the challenges and struggles that we face each day of our lives. If we are lost in the darkness of sin, Jesus always welcomes us back to the “light”, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The man born blind in today’s gospel received two gifts from Jesus, the gift of sight and the gift of faith. We see a gradual progression in the faith journey of the man born blind. The blind man’s first perception is that Jesus is is just a remarkable man. The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see.
Next in the blind man then perceives Jesus differently. When questioned by the Pharisees, he says: He is a prophet. Finally, when the blind man sees Jesus again. Jesus asks him: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he sir, that I may believe in him? Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe Lord,” and he worshiped him.
We too received spiritual sight – the gift of faith, when we were washed in the waters of Baptism. Just like the man born blind, our faith progressed over time. Unrepented sin can slow or even stop our spiritual growth. How do we prevent spiritual blindness? Prayer – growing our relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…sacraments – source of divine grace from Jesus Christ, which strengthens us against temptation, so we may always walk in the light….Sacred Scripture – power in the Word!… service to especially the least of our brothers and sisters in Christ in our midst.
God bless us all always! Deacon Mike