What if we all saw with the eyes of God? Today’s readings should shake us up a bit, leading us to fine tune our vision. I have always loved the First Reading from 1 Samuel where Samuel is asked to rise and anoint the one who is to succeed him.  The sons of Jesse present themselves one by one, and Samuel is sure as he sets his eyes on the first one that this man is the one that the Lord wants.  God has other plans though and tells him not to look at the outward appearance but to have the wisdom to see the heart of the one who is presented before him. Seven sons stand before Samuel but not one is chosen.  David is the youngest and is out tending the sheep. When he is sent for, Samuel rises and taking the horn of oil, anoints David in front of his siblings, sending down the Holy Spirit upon him.

David as we know from Scripture is not a man with a completely pure heart so what is it God saw that day? Was it that this handsome creature of his with the ruddy complexion and beautiful eyes had a teachable heart? Had a heart that would thirst eventually for the Lord?  This young man would come to serve God and become a great ruler, with all the flaws and foibles that most of us have, and then some. God sees with eyes of compassion and mercy obviously.  David was able to live as a child of the Light, as the second reading from Ephesians suggests, with all that is good and right and true.  Like so many of us, David will take a meandering road to that state of sacredness. David reminds us of our creaturehood. As we enter another Week of Lent, our sins should remain before us. Our hearts should still to be in union with God as David’s was.  We should still be trying to find out what is pleasing to the Lord and avoiding that which are the unfruitful works of darkness. 

The blind man who has his vision restored in the Gospel says that an astonishing thing has occurred. People get angry and drive him away. Jesus seeks him out and wins the man’s heart and soul. Jesus does not give up on people who are sinners or are made out to be sinners by others.  Christ seems more interested in what is possible from the creature in front of him than other people.

We all can judge others and feel judged unfairly.  Christ calls us to rise and be anointed, even if we believe we are the least likely.  The Creator knows what our hearts are made of and trusts that we can become what the original vision was, no matter how broken we become. We can sin time and again, as King David did, and yet if our restless hearts are yoked to the One who desires us to be free, we still can be worthy.  Sometimes it is easier to look at everyone else and see their sins and disappointments but the real call is to look within our hearts and see if we still long for God.  The rest belongs to God. This Lent I am trying to pull out the log in my own eye and I am finding that I will need longer than this season of reflection to do so.  I will keep my eyes on Christ and hope to have better vision with each part of the plank that I can remove.

Peace,

Suzanne

Reflection Questions

If you could see with God’s eyes, who would you treat differently?

What part of the plank in your eye can you remove to live more as a child of the Light?

Prayer

Creator, your x-ray vision sees more than what our feeble eyes can comprehend.  Teach us to judge less and to stay focused on the longings of our own heart.  We cannot know what is in someone else’s inner most self. We leave that to you. May we be able to rise and anoint others more than criticize and condemn them. Amen.