Journey to the Cross 
Pause
In the forced solitude of waiting, lean into silence.
In the mindfulness of inhaling, exhale grace.
In the intentionality of washing your hands, feel God’s presence with you.
In the darkest valley, remember that Christ is the light of the world.
Listen
The man’s neighbors and those who used to see him when he was a beggar said, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is,” and others said, “No, it’s someone who looks like him.”
But the man said, “Yes, it’s me!”
So they asked him, “How are you now able to see?”
He answered, “The man they call Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes, and said, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
They asked, “Where is this man?”
He replied, “I don’t know.”
Then they led the man who had been born blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus made the mud and smeared it on the man’s eyes on a Sabbath day. So Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
The man told them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”
John 9:8-15
Think
We don’t often like a mess. This is especially true with it comes to germs from other people. And it would be considered unsanitary and very rude indeed to spit in the dirt, make mud, and rub it on someone’s eyes. But this is what Jesus did.
In our time and age, this is an action that is unthinkable. Taking precautions around germs is very important, but so are our relationships with each other. Jesus saw a man in need and did something to help him. The man born blind was open to receiving help, even in a peculiar form, and his sight was granted to him.
The light of Jesus invites us to see those around us and to be open to helping them. It invites us to see each human person as a child of God, our sisters and brothers. It invites us to be open to receiving help too. It invites us into relationship.
Andrew Kellner
Pray
God, help me to see every person around me today. Help me to see them not just as someone walking by, but as my sister and brother. Help me to be open to helping when help is required and receiving help when I am in need. Amen.
Go
Open your eyes today to the light of God surrounding you.
Open your eyes today to the light of God within you.
Open your eyes today to the light of God in each person you meet.
Open your eyes today, and see all that God has for you to see.
