If a blind man were to offer to help you cross the street you would either charitably decline, think he was crazy, or maybe convince yourself he had super powers. We live in a society where people seek the virtuous thing to do, the logical thing to do, or the craziest thing to do, and are willing to get advice from or give advice to anyone. People can supposedly all follow a truth that doesn’t need to agree with the truth of others, and, as a result, a lot of people with partial views stumble around in the dark when they should all be seeking profounder truths.
Our Lord in today’s Gospel reminds us that we must try to see and live clearly before helping others, or it will be a case of the blind leading the blind. We have to invest time, prayer, and reflection to determine the solid foundation on which to live and to be guided. We can’t just invent this on our own: we need help from Our Lord, and we need help from solid people and solid traditions. As St. Paul recalls in the First Reading, out of his ignorance and disbelief he became a persecutor and lead others to join him in his quest. Our Lord dramatically intervened in his case to help him see how blind he really was.
Let’s pray today for everyone to receive the grace to see clearly and live clearly in order to find the best role models and be the best role models for others.
Readings: 1 Timothy 1:1–2, 12–14; Psalm 16:1b–2a, 5, 7–8, 11; Luke 6:39–42.