Lord, Let Me See
By Abba Jimmy (Theoloscience)
In the Gospel today, we witness the blind man’s persistent cry: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” His plea is simple, yet it holds the deepest longing of the human heart: to see, to behold, and to know. When Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” the man replies, “Lord, please let me see.” And Jesus grants him sight, saying, “Your faith has saved you.” Immediately, the man sees, follows Jesus, and glorifies God. His vision is restored, and his heart overflows with gratitude.
This cry — “Lord, let me see” — is the cry of all who long to behold God’s goodness and beauty. It is our cry too. We want eyes that can see the good things God has in store for us, hearts that can recognize His wonders, and spirits that can contemplate His promises in our innermost being.
Recovering Our Sight
We want to recover and possess the vision to see how excellent it is to live close to God. To see His wonders, His creation, His love reflected in every corner of our lives. God is the divine physician of our eyes, the one who heals our sight so that we can perceive His goodness in all its splendor.
We long to train our eyes to recognize God’s marvelous creation in our own bodies — the intricate design of our hands, feet, hearts, and eyes, as well as the beauty of our spiritual faculties:
Intellect (Reason), The faculty by which we seek and understand truth. It allows us to contemplate God’s Word, discern His will, and reflect on moral and spiritual truths.
Will, The ability to choose and direct our actions toward the good. It enables us to align our desires with God’s will and live virtuously.
Memory, The capacity to recall past experiences, lessons, and encounters with God. It helps us treasure and ponder God’s work in our lives, as exemplified by Mary in the Gospel (“She treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” — Luke 2:19).
Conscience, The inner voice that helps us discern right from wrong. It guides our moral decisions and keeps us accountable to God’s law written in our hearts.
Imagination, While often overlooked as a spiritual faculty, it helps us envision God’s promises, meditate on Scripture, and creatively engage in prayer and worship.
Emotions (Affections), While emotions are often associated with the physical, they have a spiritual dimension as they inspire love, compassion, and longing for God. Properly ordered, they draw us closer to Him.
Spiritual Awareness (Intuition), A deeper sense of God’s presence and truth. It enables us to perceive the sacred in the ordinary and respond to the movements of the Holy Spirit.
We want to recover the ability to see God’s goodness in our parents, our ancestors, and the people around us, even in those we might overlook or misunderstand.
Yet we also desire a vision that transcends the physical. We yearn to behold the metaphysical realities described in God’s Word: the mystery of Christ, the holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fatherly virtues of Saint Joseph, and the love that united the Holy Family. We want to see God in His fullness, to find Him in the sacred and the ordinary, in the vastness of creation and the quiet corners of our hearts.
The Call to Contemplation
The Lord’s words in Revelation are a reminder and a warning: “You have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first.” These words are not meant to discourage but to awaken us. They call us to recover our sight — both physical sight, and vision of our first love for God. A love that sees clearly, without distraction, the beauty and joy of walking with Him again.
Pope Francis reminds us that “the heart is the place where everything can make sense” (Dilexit Nos, 19). When our sight is restored, we can use our hearts to unify the fragments of our lives, to ponder the mysteries we do not yet understand, and to contemplate the goodness of God that is all around us.
The blind man teaches us the power of persistent faith. Despite the crowd’s rebuke, he kept crying out to Jesus. We too must persevere in our longing for God, refusing to let the many worldly stimuli cloud our vision. As Pope Francis writes, “We become ourselves only to the extent that we acquire the ability to acknowledge others, while only those who can acknowledge and accept themselves are then able to encounter others” (Dilexit Nos, 18).
Training Our Spiritual Vision
To recover our sight is not just to regain what was lost but to train ourselves to see more deeply. Let us pray for the ability to see God’s goodness in:
Our own bodies and souls: Marvel at the gift of life, the intricate design of every organ, and the spiritual faculties that connect us to God.
Our families and communities: Look for God’s presence in the wisdom of our ancestors and the faces and presence of those around us. Make yourself present to them.
The world and its people: See God reflected in the diversity of humanity, in every culture, race, and individual. Be not afraid of strangers. Christ was a stranger for the Emmaus disciples until they recognized Him.
The metaphysical realities of faith: Contemplate Christ’s love, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession, Saint Joseph’s fatherly protection, and the beauty of the Holy family.
We must also rehabilitate our will to see beyond the clouds of distraction, beyond the noise and temptations that the world places between us and God. This is a training of the heart and soul, a persistent commitment to seeking God’s face with steadfast determination.
The Promise of Vision Restored
The Responsorial Psalm promises, “Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life” (Ps 1:3). This victory begins when we open our eyes to the goodness of God, allowing His light to shine into our hearts and lives. Christ tells us in John’s Gospel, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12). When we see God, when we truly behold His love and promises, we cannot help but follow Him and glorify Him, just as the blind man did.
A Prayer for Sight
Let us end with the blind man’s prayer, which becomes our own:
“Lord, let me see. Let me see your wonders in my life. Let me see your goodness in creation, in others, and in myself. Let me see beyond the clouds of this world to the eternal promises you have prepared for those who love you. Restore my sight, Lord, and lead me to the fullness of your light.”
Amen.
