Rev. Fr. John C. Mubanga, a Catholic priest of the Society of Missionary of Africa, commonly known as “White Fathers,” has noted that every one of “us in one way or the other had been blind from birth and would only see when we accept the healing from Jesus Christ and His mission.
“And this healing from Jesus is not just about opening our eyes to see clearly ourselves, the other and things around us but it should also make us recognise who Jesus is in our lives and be transformed”.
He said people were often blinded by the outward appearance of others and based on that they judge others unfairly and hastily, urging Christians to pray for healing from “our blindness and the ability to see others with compassion, love, charity, mercy and forgiveness.”
Fr. Mubanga said this in a Homily to mark the Fourth Sunday of Lent at the Blessed Sacrament Parish at Abelenkpe in the Archdiocese of Accra.
It was on the theme: Living in the Light: Exploring the Identity and Responsibility of a Christian.
Fr. Mubanga underscored the need to seek divine healing from Jesus who would open our eyes to see others beyond their outward appearances.
“God sees beyond outward appearances and into the depths of a person’s heart, delighting in upsetting common sense by choosing those whom society deems unworthy,” he said in reference to the anointing of David, the smallest and least of the sons of Jesse as King of Israel.
Touching on the Gospel Reading of the day in which Jesus healed a blind man by restoring his sight, Fr. Mubanga stated that “we are all prone to blindness, as our vision can be clouded by biases and preconceptions,” adding that Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on “our biases and prejudices and work towards a new outlook, one that is purified and sees others with compassion and love.”
