“So they said to him, ‘How were your eyes opened?'” -John 9:10
The readings this week play on the themes of light and darkness, blindness and sight. In the second reading from St. Paul to the Ephesians, we are told to expose the hidden, “fruitless works of darkness” and instead “live as children of light.” In the gospel, Jesus heals a blind man, and in giving the man the gift of sight, also reveals himself as the Son of God, giving him the gift of faith as well.
As Christians, we are called not to move through this world blind to the injustice and suffering around us, but rather to see and address it courageously, bearing Christ’s light to the world.
Pray
God of all,
you made the earth and saw that it was good,
but like robbers we have stripped it of its treasure.
Open our eyes, Lord.
Now the earth cries out
and your people hunger and thirst.
Open our eyes, Lord.
Open our eyes to see the pain of your creation
and move us with compassion for your world.
Open our eyes, Lord.
Lead us to act as neighbors,
who do not pass by on the other side.
Open our eyes, Lord.
So that together we may care for all that you have made and with all creation sing your praise.
Open our eyes, Lord.
– Catherine Gorman, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)
The Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids join with other congregations of Dominican Sisters in North America to bring you this prayer, as part of a Lenten reflection journey. This prayer and additional reflections can be found in the Lenten 2020 Guide: A Journey Toward Ecological Conversion. Special Thanks to the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns. Follow along with us each week during Lent.
Image licensed in the public domain and available at http://bit.ly/treesunsetpurple