Dear Friends,

As a young boy, I used to think eyeglasses looked "cool." Now that I have to wear them always, and my vision continues to change, I often wish I didn’t need them at all. Moreover, I tend to misplace them often. We usually assume that everyone wants to see perfectly, but as a colleague recently pointed out to me when I was sharing my situation, there is a strange "middle ground" where your vision is just good enough to get by, but bad enough that you have to carry your glasses everywhere. Life is actually simpler when we admit we need help to see clearly. This is what the gospel reading today reminds us of.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters a man blind from birth, and he does not wait to be asked by him; He takes the initiative and heals him. But before the healing took place, the man born blind went through some important stages:

1. First, he saw "the man they call Jesus."
2. Then, he recognized Him as a Prophet.
3. Finally, he confessed Him as Lord.

At the center of these stages is the fact that the blind man was humble enough to acknowledge what he did not know and to admit his blindness. This allowed him to eventually see everything.

While we naturally assume the physically blind want to see, the same is not always true for our "spiritual" sight. The Pharisees in today’s gospel represent this tragic form of spiritual blindness. Because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, they labeled Him a sinner. Despite the miracle of the healed man standing right in front of them, they refused to budge. So, clearly, their sin was not their lack of physical sight; it was their insistence that they already saw everything perfectly. They said, "We know," and "We see," and by so doing, they effectively closed their hearts to the truth.

We often fall into this same trap. Because we are human, our perspective is inherently limited. We tend to look at appearances, but only God looks at the heart. When we judge others, especially those in public life or those different from us, we often see only a fraction of the truth. By so doing, we act like the blind Pharisees.

On this Laetare Sunday ("Rejoice" Sunday), we are reminded that there is joy in the light. But to reach that light, we must be honest about our own shadows and blindness. We must have the courage to say, "I got it wrong. There was more there than I saw." Whether it is our relationship with our neighbors or our relationship with Christ, let us move away from the pride of "knowing it all" of the Pharisees toward the humility of the man born blind. Only then can we truly begin to see.

In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who made our recent Lenten Mission such a great success. From the inspiring sessions for all ages to the powerful moments of praise, worship, and the beautiful climax of Adoration and Benediction, it was truly a memorable time of grace. Thank you for showing up with such open hearts—you have made this Lent a special season of true communal renewal and encounter. As our preparation towards the paschal mysteries continues, I want to wish you all a fruitful Lenten Season preparation.

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