Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
For those of us who are blessed with the gift of sight, every second while awake we are surrounded by the colors, shapes, movements, textures, and details of the world around us. Although we can look around, how often do we really “see” what is right in front of us? So much of what is right in front of us is lost to our gaze because of inattention or distraction. Today’s gospel story reminds us to pay attention to what we see, and respond to these sights with faith filled actions.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the story of the rich man who lives a sumptuous life and passes by a poor man (Lazarus) who is lying at his door. Although the rich man has noticed Lazarus as he passes him, he does not “see” him, and therefore he does nothing to tend to the poor man’s needs. Despite the horrible living conditions of Lazarus, the rich man walks on by because his eyes (and his heart) do not see with the eyes of faith, and therefore he does not recognize the dignity and care that Lazarus should receive.
We walk through our daily lives and encounter many sights, situations, and people. Do we see with eyes of faith? I know that I often race from one activity to the next and therefore miss many of the details of my day. I believe that to see with the eyes of faith we require God’s grace. We need to humbly acknowledge our inability to do this without God, and we must be open to God’s presence in our life.
If we see with eyes of faith, we have the vision to perceive how God is present throughout our world. When we notice the details of our day- the beautiful spring flowers, a snow capped mountain, or a field of grain- we recognize God’s gift of creation. When we see a crying child, a homeless person on the street corner, or an angry co-worker, we can see Christ present within.
Seeing with the eyes of faith not only changes how we encounter the world, but it also should lead us to action. We praise God for the beauty of the created world, and we share love, mercy and compassion with those that we have seen. It is our connection with Christ through prayer that allows the scales to fall off of our eyes and provides us the wisdom and strength to respond. With the eyes of faith, everything we see holds the possibility of a deeper meaning and a specific call to action. I believe this is what it means to be led by the Spirit.
As we continue throughout the days of Lent, spend time in prayer and ask God for the grace to see with eyes of faith. May we ask God to “See thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow more nearly – day by day.” (Godspell)
—Marylynn Herchline