Homily for 15 Feb 2017

15 Feb 2017

When the blind man was brought to Jesus, he was hoping to be able to see again.  And so, Jesus touched him and put saliva onto his eyes.  But it only sort of worked; he could see, but not in the way he was hoping.  You might even say his vision was worse.  But it happens that way sometimes.

Imagine driving your car and you realize how dirty the windshield is.  So, you spray a little washer fluid on there and turn the wipers on.  Well, the first thing that happens is that all the dirt gets smeared; your windshield turns into a bunch of dirty streaks, and it’s even harder to see. 

When we bring Jesus into our life and ask him to help us and guide us, our life might turn a little messy.  It doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t working; on the contrary, it’s a sign that God is at work.  The test, however, is to be patient and trust that things will work out.

The blind man could see after Jesus touched him, but only in blurry sort of way.  And so, Jesus touched him again, and then the man could see clearly.  When you spray washer fluid on your windshield, it takes a few swipes of wiper blades to go from dirty, to smeared and streaky, to clear.  And when we’re trying to work through tough times in our life, things generally get messy first, and then resolution and clarity come.

If we’re praying for divine help, but life gets messier, it doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t working.  On the contrary, it can be sign that God is very much at work.  The test, however, is to be patient and trust that things will work out.  The blind man saw clearly.  The windshield becomes clean.  And life gets better—if we just trust God to do what he does.