The blind man teaches us how conversion should change us
El Greco | Public Domain
It is helpful to read Bible passages slowly, paying close attention to each word and phrase. When we do that, we can typically see things that we may have missed from a previous reading. This reflects how Scripture is "living and active" -- the Holy Spirit works in the words to speak to us in our today.
Take the story of the "man born blind" in the Gospel of John. It is a lengthy passage, but one that is packed full of meaning.
One part of the story that may go unnoticed is the fact that people don't recognize the healed man after he washes himself in the Pool of Siloam.
A different man
The Gospel of John narrates how Jesus instructs the blind man to go and wash after having made a paste that he smeared over his eyes:
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see. (John 9:6-7)
After having washed himself in the pool, those who knew him were surprised. He certainly would have looked the same, but there was something different about him:
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.” (John 9:8-9)
The man born blind was able to see, but he also acted differently. He wasn't his depressed-self, begging on the side of the road. He was given a new life and everyone around him recognized it.
This simple example should remind us of what our lives should look like after have been baptized with the water of salvation. Our life should be different than before.
While most of us were baptized as infants, we should still strive to act differently than those who are attached to the things of this world. A person should be able to look at us and know that we are Christian.
Conversion should change us, change how we look at the world and interact with it. Whenever we hear this Gospel read at Mass, we should reflect about our own lives and if we people recognize us, especially if we led a more sinful life in the past.
