First Reading - 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13
Second Reading - Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel - John 9:1-41
In the first reading from 1 Samuel, the prophet Samuel is sent by God to anoint a new king for Israel from the family of Jesse. When Samuel sees Jesse’s eldest son, he immediately thinks that this must be the one chosen by God. The young man appears strong and impressive. But God corrects Samuel with an important reminder: “Do not judge from his appearance or his lofty stature… Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.”
One by one Jesse’s sons pass before Samuel, yet none of them is the one God has chosen. Finally, David, the youngest son who had been tending the sheep, is brought forward. He is the least expected, yet he is the one God selects and anoints as king. This moment reveals a profound truth: God often chooses those whom the world overlooks, because he sees the heart.
The second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians speaks about another kind of vision — the difference between darkness and light. Saint Paul reminds the believers that once they lived in darkness, but now in Christ they are light. Because of this new identity, they are called to live as children of the light. The fruits of light are goodness, righteousness, and truth. When we allow Christ to illuminate our lives, we begin to see clearly what pleases God and what leads us away from him.
The Gospel presents one of the most powerful signs in the ministry of Jesus: the healing of the man born blind. The disciples initially ask whose sin caused the man’s blindness, but Jesus redirects their thinking. The man’s condition becomes an opportunity for God’s works to be revealed.
Jesus heals him by placing mud on his eyes and sending him to wash in the pool of Siloam. When the man returns able to see, a long and dramatic conversation follows. The neighbors are confused, the Pharisees question him repeatedly, and many refuse to believe that Jesus could have done such a thing, especially because it happened on the Sabbath.
What is striking is the gradual growth of faith in the man who was healed. At first he simply calls Jesus “the man called Jesus.” Later he recognizes him as a prophet. Finally, when Jesus meets him again and reveals himself as the Son of Man, the man believes and worships him.
At the same time, those who believed they could see — the Pharisees — become spiritually blind. Their pride and rigid thinking prevent them from recognizing the truth standing before them.
The story reveals a powerful contrast. Physical blindness did not prevent the healed man from coming to faith, but spiritual blindness prevented the religious leaders from seeing God’s work.
Dear friends, do we see others only by outward appearances, or do we try to see them with the compassion and understanding that God shows? Are we open to the light of Christ, allowing him to reveal the truth in our lives?
Jesus continues to offer us the gift of sight — not only for our eyes but for our hearts. When we accept his light, we begin to see the world differently. We see God’s presence where we had not noticed it before, we recognize the dignity in others, and we understand more clearly the path that leads to life.
The prayer of this day could be simple and sincere: Lord, help us to see. Help us to see you in our lives, to see others with love, and to walk always in the light that you give.
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