SIGHT:
HINDSIGHT, FORESIGHT,
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 4th Sunday in Lent, Year A, is, “Sight: Hindsight, Foresight, Insight.”
That’s the title and the thought that hit me when I read
today’s gospel story from the Gospel of John – chapter 9: 1 - 41.
SIGHT
Let’s start with sight.
The man born blind in chapter 9 of the gospel of John can’t see. His physical eyes
– the ones we can see – those 2 round eyes – above his nose - don’t work.
That’s the first meaning of sight and blindness in this
story in the Gospel of John.
But as we know, John’s images and stories have many levels
and many meanings.
Bread is bread – but it’s also Eucharist – the body of
Christ.
Water is water – but it’s also Living Water that satisfies
the deepest spiritual thirsts of every human being that meets Christ.
Birth is birth – but it also refers to rebirths – a person starting
again - in the middle or some point or points in our life.
Light is light – the sun – the light from a candle or a lamp
– but it’s also the Inner Light and Christ as the Light of the World.
Night is night – darkness – but it can also be the night of
sin and darkness a person can get lost in. Reread today's second reading where Ephesians like the Gospel of John talks about being in darkness. [Ephesians 5:8-14]
So sight is sight – but here in the Gospel of John - it
becomes inner sight – seeing more and more of God in our life – seeing that
Christ is the Son of Man – seeing that Christ is the Light of the world as we heard in today's gospel - the One who takes away the sin and darkness of our world.
HINDSIGHT
The second theme I want to get into is hindsight.
As they often say, “Hindsight is 20-20.”
We know a lot more the next day. I love the saying, “Don’t
write in your diary what happened that day, because you won’t know till next week or
next year or twenty five years from now what really happened."
Hindsight is Monday morning quarterbacking. It’s the play,
the move, the coach should have called yesterday. It’s the trade that looks smart
or the trade that looks stupid – three years later.
A key idea would be that we learn from what has happened.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest – how good is my
hindsight?
What have I learned from the past? Especially mistakes? What
do I perceive happened – if it was a dumb move – so I won’t do it again?
It’s my understanding that we are déjà vu people. We make
the same mistakes 70 times 7 times.
It’s my understanding that people who are hurt by another are more interested in the other stopping the same old stupidity or mistakes than hearing the same old, same old,
“I’m sorry!”
Don’t tell me you’re sorry, do something about your
blindness.
Hindsight challenges us to look at what has happened in our
life – learned its lessons – so that we might stop repeating our past.
Re-runs are often not that much fun.
FORESIGHT
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how good am I
with foresight?
Some people are better than others in figuring out the
future.
There are some scouts who can see possibilities in an athlete
that others don’t see.
Everyone thinks they have foresight. We're heading towards the toll booths just before the upcoming bridge. Which booth to take? Which one will not have a delay – if one doesn't have E-Z Pass? Or someone is at the track: which horse to pick? Or picking a restaurant: which one? Will it be crowded? Or when making the big, big choice: which
person to marry?
Here is where experience comes into the picture. Here is
where hindsight – once again - comes in. What have I learned – not just to kick
myself for stepping in your know what – but to have the foresight to keep
looking down when I’m walking.
In today’s first reading [1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a] the Prophet Samuel goes to see a
man named Jesse and his sons. The Lord had said to him, “Fill your horn
with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I
have chosen my king from among his sons.”
Samuel goes to see Jesse and his sons and says, “Surely the
Lord’s anointed is here before me.”
He hears the Lord say, “Don’t judge by appearance or from
lofty stature .... Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the
appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”
Jesse presents all 7 sons to Samuel.
The Lord chooses none of these 7 sons.
But wait a minute, the Lord had told him that the future
king is in one of these sons of Jesse? So Samuel asks Jesse, “Are these all the
sons you have?”
Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him.”
Well, when Samuel sees the youngest he knows: “This
is the one.”
Samuel anoints him. I
love the final words from today’s first reading, “... the spirit of the Lord rushed
upon David.”
INSIGHT
Insight is the last of the sights I’m mentioning today.
On a scale of 1 to
10. 10 being the highest how good am I with insight?
Insight is like foresight from hindsight. However, an insight is
more clear and more specific than foresight.
Let me give two insight stories – both of which I have used
in my life – forever and a day. I have no idea where I heard these 2 stories
for the first time.
The first story is called, “We’ll See.” If you start to say along with me the
refrain, “We’ll See” – you’re getting the story.
A man had one son and one horse and one farm.
The horse was the best horse in the whole countryside. Whenever the son raced with him, it won. Whenever people
saw how powerful the horse was in pulling a plow or stumps out of the ground,
the people would say to the man, “Wow, you’re so lucky to have such a wonderful
horse.” And he would always answer, “We’ll see.”
Well, one day his horse ran away – and neighbors seeing the
man and his only son would say, “Wow, you’re unlucky. That’s a horrible thing
that your horse ran away.” And the man said, “We’ll see.”
Well, surprise two days later their horse returned – with 20
other horses. And everyone came out to see the 21 horses. It was quite a scene
to see. And everyone said, “How lucky you are that your prize horse returned - along with 20 other horses. Wow!” And the
man said, “We’ll see.”
Well, his son got on one of the new horses – and was thrown. He broke his leg. So neighbors said to the man. “Wow, you’re
unlucky that your only son broke his leg.” And the man said, “We’ll see.”
Two days later an army marched through that countryside and
grabbed every available young man. They drafted them into the army and marched off to
battles. Well the neighbors came to the man who had the prized horse and only
son and said, “How lucky you are that you’re the only one left with a son.” And the man said, “We’ll see.”
The second story is called, “Raking Leaves.”
A man is raking leaves on his lawn – outside his house – just
on the edge of town.
Another man comes up the road. He has a backpack on. Seeing the
man raking leaves, he goes up to him and asks, “Mister, I’m from a town down the
road – about 100 miles from here - and I’m looking for a new town to settle in.
What’s this town like?”
Well, the man raking leaves asks the man with the backpack, “What
was it like in the town you just left?”
The man with the backpack said, “It was horrible. That’s why
I left it. Everyone was so self centered and selfish. You couldn’t trust
anyone. You couldn’t leave your door open.”
The man raking leaves said, “Well, I suppose you’ll
find the same sort of folks in this town.”
And the man with the backpack said, “Thank you. Thank you.
Good thing I asked. So long. I’ll keep looking.”
About an hour later, the man was still raking those leaves
and another man comes up the road – also with a back pack.
He asks the man raking the leaves. “What’s it like in this town? I’m looking
for a new place to settle.”
The man raking the leaves asks, “What was it like in the last place you
were?”
“Well,” said the traveler, “I’m from a town about 100 miles
from here and it was a wonderful place. I lost my job – so I had to move.
It’s a shame, because it was such a wonderful place. Everyone talked to
everyone. You never had to lock your door. It was the perfect place to live.”
“Well,” the man raking leaves said, “I’m sure you’ll find
the same kind of people in this town -
with that same kind of spirit.”
And the man with the backpack said, “Thanks. I think I’ll
settle here.”
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily was: “Sight: Hindsight, Foresight, Insight.”
A church is a vision center. Meeting Christ can be an eye
opener. It's good to come to this place.
Hopefully we say each time we experience Christ. “Oh, okay,
now I get it, now I see.”
Better, hopefully each time we experience Christ, we say,
“Oh, okay, now I see, now I get you.”
