1 Samuel 16: 1, 6-7. 10-13 / Psalms 23: 1-6 / Ephesians 5: 8-14 / John 9: 1-41

What was happening when you woke up in the morning? Do you want to stay longer in your bed? Put off getting up! Turn over and over for another nap? Hit the snooze button? Half-awake—it is like sleepwalking—dreamily walking! Absent-mindedly–It is a condition between was and is? There were also moments when you suddenly jumped out of your bed, startled! Sudden readiness—shock! And you say “Oh my God!” Correct? And there were many times we felt refresh! Fully wake up!

Wake up means to have our eyes opened so that we see. It is to have our ears opened so that we hear. It is to have our reason alert so that we understand. It is to have our body system ready for the day ahead.

In the biblical way of speaking of spiritual awareness, to be awake is the opposite of being asleep, deaf, blind, and without understanding.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ acts of prophecy (Such as Spat; Clay with the saliva; Smeared the clay, and his command “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”) glimpsed a figure standing in the shadow of darkness. He had shown the audiences the deeper dimension of reality, that the Grace of God is larger—stronger than the power of evil or darkness. His miracles stunned people so that many of them said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before! He is a prophet! He is a Son of Man!” Such a shock caused his audience to wonder in amazement.

It was different from the people who were possessed by hatred and anger. They sensed and reacted differently: “How can a sinful man do such signs?” They cursed the good things that came from God.

Jesus’ healings were themselves paradigmatic. When he healed a blind man—even the one who was born blind, he demonstrated how “unseeing” persons could be made to see by his touch—by his personal encounter. When he healed the paralyzed, the crippled, he showed that unfeeling persons could be made to feel and engage the unexplored dimensions of their psyche. And when he opened deaf ears, he revealed how deaf persons could be made to hear.

There is only one thing Christ could not do; it was asking or making the Pharisees accept him. It had to come from their heart. It had to come from their personal will. It could not be forced. It had to be a personal decision!

Now, how those things work on us concretely?

I will answer that question with other questions. There is a wise thing to do, right? Have you ever tried to recognize the area of yours that you feel: Blind, deaf, or paralyzed? Where are you fit it? Are you more in the blindness state, where you cannot see the truth of reality, the direction of your life?

Are you more in a deafness state where you could not hear the message of God—the voice of God within, that probably does not make you feel comfortable?

Or, you are in the paralyzed state, the state where you are feeling stuck! When you are feeling unable to make any concrete movement! It seems something has been tied you up strongly!

Right now, I want to make you sure understand the concept of awakening; spiritual, psychological and even, physical—that I have learned through the contemplation of today readings, especially on the Gospel:

It is like when you are all wake up in the morning. Some open their eyes with a start because of noise or a touch, a spat, an unpredictable smeared the saliva clay on your face… others with a jolt because of a shocking experience. Some slowly and gradually come to the consciousness of a new day.

I want to conclude this reflection with these words:

We can describe a process of spiritual awakening, but we cannot dissolve the mystery. Remember that. Seeing with the eyes of the heart and feeling the transformation that follows creates a new perspective on life, but none can fully explain how or why it happens! It is just like had happened with the man who was born blind.

[It is good if you are all able to read once again at home the long version of the Gospel reading today to get a complete message!]

Somehow, I believe, even awakening from sleep is mysterious!

DR. Kusnadi