FROM BLINDNESS TO SIGHT
INTRODUCTORY RITES
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We cannot gather as usual for the Eucharist. But we are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: One of the most irritating things in life is when people seem blind to what is evident: Why don’t they see? Very often we are blind to God, to people, to the things we should see about ourselves. We ask our Lord to touch and open our eyes to the deeper and beautiful realities of our faith.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have failed to “see” God’s grace in and around us, the good in people and their needs, our faults, we ask the Lord for forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, touch our eyes and open them to our sins: Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, touch our ears and open them to the cries of the poor: Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, touch our hearts and open them to your love: Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God our Creator,
show forth your mighty works
amid your people.
Enlighten your Church,
that we may know your Son
as the true light of the world
and through our worship confess him
as Christ and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Response If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2 Ephesians 5:8-14
Acclamation
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Gospel John 9:1-41
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are present with the blind man as he encounters Jesus, his neighbours, the Pharisees. What are your thoughts and feelings when you witness these encounters?
Sunday Snippets
Author John Griffin was blinded in an explosion during World War II. Twelve years later, he suddenly began to see what he described as “red sand”. A specialist later told him that a block to an optic nerve had abruptly cleared causing him to see. Commenting on his experience, Griffin said: “You can’t imagine what it is like for a father to see his children for the first time.”
The blind man of the gospel had an experience like Griffin’s: after Jesus anoints the man and he washes in the pool, a son saw his parents for the first time! He saw more than his parents; he saw Jesus as his Lord.
While his physical sight was instantaneously restored, his spiritual sight grew in stages: Jesus is the man called Jesus, a prophet, a man of God, and finally Lord.
The Pharisees/Jews make an opposite journey; they become increasingly blind. They expel the man from the synagogue. Even his parents disassociate themselves from him out of fear.
For the evangelist, this is not merely another miraculous cure. John is writing to a community that is experiencing rejection from Jewish society. Through this sign, he presents the blind man as a model of spiritual growth to encourage them to continue to “see” Jesus as their Lord.
Like the blind man, we have been anointed and washed in the waters of baptism.
Have I grown in my faith response to Jesus: do I “see” him as my Lord… or is he merely a man, a prophet, a man from God?
Am I ready to risk rejection in my desire to see Jesus?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: When was a time that a first impression about someone or something was proven to be far from the reality? How can I better “look into the hearts” of others?
When I feel God is calling me to perform a task, what do I do: assume that God will give me what I need for the task or back away at the thought of obstacles?
Reading 2: What does it mean to be called “a child of light?” Are there any “fruitless works of darkness” in my life that need to be exposed? How can I continue to grow in my spiritual journey, moving from “darkness” to “light”?
Gospel: Has there ever been a physical or emotional misfortune in my life that has turned into an opportunity for the demonstration of God’s power? How do I answer the question “why?” concerning pain or suffering in my life?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, we ask our Lord to open our eyes to see him and to recognize him in our neighbour, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may share the light of the Gospel with all who are struggling to recognize good from evil, truth from lies, and selfless love from self-serving activity, we pray to the Lord…
R: For leaders of nations: that they may promote the well-being of all people, particularly the vulnerable and the powerless, we pray to the Lord…
R: For people living with disabilities: that they may cope with the effects of their disability, we pray to the Lord…
R: For those appearing for examinations: that their efforts may bear fruit, we pray to the Lord…
R: For insight to caring for our environment: that we may see the damages we have done to the environment and work to protect it from further harm, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that we may look beyond appearances and attempt to see the face of Christ in all people, celebrating diversity and promoting the gifts each person brings, we pray to the Lord…
L: Lord God, restore our sight that we may see the way that leads to you and to people, and at the end of our road we may see you. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
won’t you cleanse my blind eyes,
wash away the mud,
and move me
from being an unseeing person to a believer,
from a bystander to a disciple,
from a walker in darkness to a lamp for your light?
Lord,
let me see…
beyond appearances or stature
and into the heart like you do.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord our God,
wake us up from the night of sin
and the sleep of indifference.
Let the light of Christ shine in us,
that those around us may discover in us
a bit of his compassionate love,
the truth he spoke, and the new life he brought.
He is Lord for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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