Are we blind or do we wish to be blind?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 15, 2022: James 1: 12-18; Mark 8: 14-21

Why is God testing me so much - have you heard people say this in their difficulties? In fact, this is one of the prominent human questions to the Divine: why me? Why Lord, why have you caused me to suffer? But it would not take long to realise how dumb such a question is, if only we sincerely give a serious thought to it. At times we blame God because we do not see! We are not able to see, but the facts are right before us. 

When an evil befalls, like a war, or a pandemic, or a disaster of many kinds, we ask: why Lord, why this? But if only we pause a while and go into the reasons and causes, would we not be able to see that it has not got to do with God, but with us, with human greed or insensitivity, personal ego or collective indifference, social evil or global exploitation. We do not see, because we are not capable of perceiving it, we are not prepared enough to understand it. 

Worse is the case when we choose not to see, when we prefer not to perceive! There are all the signs of warning about destruction and disaster, but we still choose to go ahead as if there is nothing wrong, because we do not wish to disturb the present system or structure, because we wish to shirk the responsibility from our shoulders, because we resist any inconvenience even if it is for a lasting good in the longer run! And then we find it so easy to blame it on God!

Is it not just that the Lord flings at us all those questions that he does in the Gospel today - do you not understand? do you not see? do you not hear? do you not remember? are you without perception! It is never late, and certain never too early, to take a deep look at the reality of our lives and become aware of the wrong choices and decisions we keep making. Is it so difficult to do? If so, we are either blind or we wish to be blind!