SIGHT:

HINDSIGHT, FORESIGHT, 

INSIGHT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th 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.”