In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus restores sight to a blind man. The blind man was able to see with eyes of faith and believed that Jesus could restore his physical sight.
Whatever our physical ability to see, we are all called to see with the eyes of faith. That involves looking beyond what the world tells us is important and attempting to see events and people as God sees them.
Another natural disaster—Hurricane Michael—has struck the US in the panhandle of Florida. Relief efforts in North Carolina continue following Hurricane Florence. Add to these the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia; a typhoon affecting southern China, the Philippines, Guam, and the Marshall Islands; a tropical storm in Hawaii; wildfires in California; flooding and mudslides in Japan; volcano eruptions in Guatemala and Hawaii; flooding in India and Nigeria, and we see that many people throughout the world are hurting and in need—spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
When we see Jesus Christ in our hurting neighbor—in the next state or across the world, our Christian response is to offer aid. Many parishes held a second collection earlier this month to assist with these needs. If you missed that collection or would like to contribute more, go to Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services. Suggesting a program or school effort to raise funds to help these hurting people would be a great way to raise awareness of the many people in need throughout the world.
Seeing with the eyes of faith gives us perspective. Suddenly, our everyday concerns may seem small and even petty compared to the problems of the people dealing with these catastrophes and other major life challenges. We pray that we all may gain God’s perspective and grow in generosity of heart.
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