by Fr Raymond Raj
1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13
Psalm 22
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
Theme: Let Our Eyes Be Open
One of my favourite author in English is definitely William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare once he said this,
Our very eyes (the human eyes), our very eyes are sometimes like our judgments, dead blind.
Our human eyes sometimes is like our judgments, blind.
Brothers and sisters, most of us here, we have perfect eyesight. Most of us. But intentionally, we blind ourselves to the truth. Even though we have perfect eyesight, we choose to blind ourselves to the truth.
So speaking of being blind, a little story comes to my mind.
Once upon a time there was a very famous medical doctor in the town. This doctor has a very big signboard outside his clinic. And the signboard says: If I as a doctor I can heal you, you must pay me RM20. If I can heal you, you pay me RM20 but if I can’t heal you, then I as a doctor I will pay you RM100.
If I heal you, you pay me RM20. If I don’t heal you, I will pay you RM100.
Very interesting doctor. I hope all the doctors in this world are like this. Until now I am not healed, for the past one year after 10 days in hospital last year. I hope the doctor will pay me one day.
So there was a lawyer in the town, a very cunning lawyer, money-minded lawyer who thought highly about himself and he wanted to take this medical doctor for a ride. So seeing this doctor, this lawyer said,
“Doctor, I have problem with my taste bud (lidah). I have problem with my taste bud, I can’t taste anything, doctor. Please cure me. Please heal me, doctor”
So the doctor called the nurse and said, “Nurse, nurse, bring bottle number 20. Bring me bottle number 20.”
So the doctor opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid inside the bottle into the lawyer’s tongue.
The lawyer immediately shouted, “Are you stupid, doctor? Are you stupid? This is petrol!”
“Hah!” the doctor said. “Your taste bud has cured. Pay me RM20.”
Belum habis, got some more. Wait. wait.
Few weeks later, again with the same intention to cheat, to manipulate, the lawyer went to the clinic again and said,
“Doctor, I have a problem. I cannot remember anything. I have dementia! Dementia! Please doctor, cure me.”
So the doctor said, “Nurse, bring bottle number 20.”
Immediately the lawyer said, “Ah no, no, no! Bottle number 20 is petrol! No, no, no!”
“Ah! Your memory has healed. Pay me RM20.”
Few months later, again the lawyer went to this clinic, again trying to make this RM100 our of this doctor and said,
“Doctor, please help me. I am blind. I cannot see (like today’s Gospel, you know). Saya buta. I am blind, doctor, I cannot see. Please heal me, doctor.”
The doctor said, “Ah, you are blind. Sorry I cannot heal blind people. Nurse, bring the RM100 here and pass to this lawyer. Because I cannot cure you. Bring the RM100 here and give it to this lawyer.”
Upon receiving the note, the lawyer said, “Doctor, this is RM20, not RM100.”
“Ah! You have received your eyesight. Pay me RM20.”
So brothers and sisters, the joke is not important. What I am going to say after this is more important.
Being blind is the toughest test for anyone. For a little while, just imagine if you were born blind. Thank God none of us here are blind. If you were born blind, how will your emotions be now? How will your emotions be if you were born blind?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals a blind person, a blind man who was suffering physically and also suffering emotionally. The blind man was reported in today’s Gospel. This blind man, he was begging for money. Day in, day out begging for money in order to survive. And I suppose the irony of today’s Gospel is not the blind man but the attitude of the Pharisees because they were very unhappy today. The Pharisees were angry and unhappy because the blind man received healing. He received his eyesight.
So brothers and sisters, let us take a moment today and ask ourselves when was the last time you and I felt happy for others? When was the last time you and I felt happy and joyful for others?
It is very sad but very true. The modern world today teaches you and me to be self-centered, selfish people like the Pharisees. Our whole idea of joy, our whole idea of happiness has become self-centered, self-centric. It is no longer about our neighbours. Our joy is all about ourselves.
So brothers and sisters, Jesus did not think twice. Jesus did not discern whether to heal this blind man today on Sabbath day, the most sacred day. Because for Jesus Christ, human life means more than all the sacred days and rituals put together. I want to say this point again.
For Jesus Christ, human life is more important than all the sacred days, then all the rituals and traditions put together.
So my dear friends, Jesus is ready to heal you and me if you and I are interested with life. If you and I have no interest with life, if you and I do not appreciate the gift of life, then what is the point of healing? If you don’t appreciate life, human life, what is the point of healing you?
The Pharisees, they were never interested with human life because for the Pharisees traditions, rituals, rules and regulations stand above life. That is why, my dear friends, the Pharisees failed to be compassionate and joyful for this poor blind man.
So brothers and sisters, my message to you today is to be a joyful person simply means to appreciate life. To be a joyful person simply means to value human existence. Of course without a shadow of doubt, rules, traditions, regulations, all these things are important. But when it comes to human life, Jesus is willing to break all the rules. He broke the rule on Sabbath day in order to give life to this blind man.
So brothers and sisters, in this Holy Mass we pray for the grace to be a joyful person, especially when our neighbours receive healing from the Lord. And most importantly, I suppose, we pray today for the grace not to be a selfish, a self-centered human being.
And I leave you with this beautiful Gospel text for you to reflect further about life. In John 10:10, my favourite verse, Jesus says,
“I have come from heaven so that you may have life. Life in abundance.“
Amen.
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