“I went there and washed and was able to see”

In our humanity, we are all born with abilities and disabilities, things that we can do and those we cannot. Some abilities or deficiencies are due to genetics, while others are inexplicable. In today’s Gospel, we see the commonly held belief that if you had a major disability, like blindness, then you were “cursed.” This so-called curse was believed to be on account of a grave sin that either you or your parents) committed. However, Jesus instructs us that the man’s blindness signifies that “neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”  
 
Why did they ask, “Who committed the sin?” It was a firm Jewish belief that every affliction was the punishment for sin and that the sins of parents could be punished in their offspring. In the Old Testament it read, “I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation.” (Ex 20:5; Dt. 5:9)
 
Why does Jesus say that this is not the case (his or his ancestors’ past sins)?  Jesus comes to set the score straight for them and for us; the man in the Gospel was not born blind because of anyone’s sins. Just so for all of humanity, the physical and emotional defects that we are born with are not punishments for sin. Jesus tells us that our disabilities are opportunities to make visible the works of God.
 
Why would God want him or anyone else to be born blind (or other disabilities)? God wants all of us to be in Heaven with Him, that is why He created us and that is a testament to His love for us. God gives every person equal chances for salvation. Being born with a physical or mental disability does not hinder your ability to achieve Heaven; it can actually make it easier for you. For on the Cross, Jesus taught us how to suffer and he gave meaning to all of our sufferings. Those born with physical ailments can take up their crosses and follow in the patient footsteps of Christ.
 
Story of Patrick Hughes
 
Does that mean the blind man had no original sin? No. We know that “all have sinned.” (Rom. 3:23) God does not want or will sin, but He does allow it. Why does God allow sin? God allows sin because He allows free will. When we choose something other than God, we are choosing to turn away from God’s love and remove ourselves from God’s grace. “We are of Adam’s stock, blind from our birth; we need him to give us light. He mixed saliva with earth, and so it was prophesied: Truth has sprung up from the earth.” [1] We often become fixated on the unfairness of original sin. Why do we have to pay for what Adam and Eve did? Original sin is the human condition, which is passed on because we are human we are sinners. It is like genetics. A son might not like to get bald, when he gets older, but if his grandfather was bald, as well as his father, he could inherit the baldness. This is not unfair and it is not the fault of the grandfather or father, it is the way of nature. Just as naturally we inherited sin through Adam and Eve, we supernaturally inherit grace through Jesus (the new Adam) and Mary (the new Eve). Why are we so fixated on inheriting sin, but pay very little to the fact that we have been given the opportunity to new birth in baptism, enabling us to inherit grace? We blame God for inheriting sin, without any mention of thanksgiving to God for inheriting grace. To blame for sin, yet never give thanks for grace is like a child who see only the punishment of his parents, but never the blessings and sacrifices. If we look at the sin but never the grace we are living contrary to the word of God, which says, “Sin has increased but grace has far surpassed it.” [2] Yes, we are born with original sin and our sin does bring about punishment, but we are also born again through the waters of baptism into Grace and this grace does bring about blessings and if we live in the state of Grace, salvation.
 
Why was he born blind then? Jesus’ answer was to show a glimpse into the mystery of suffering in a world of God’s love. He doesn’t say it was from past or present sins but destined to serve as the occasion of a work of God. Blindness is an evil, in the sense that it is a deprivation of good (sight). Darkness is an evil, in the sense that it is a deprivation of good (light). Cold is an evil in the sense that it is a deprivation of good (heat). Although God does not will any deprivation, He does allow it and will use it, just as He used the blind man. God can use anything, good, bad or ugly. In Samson’s life, God used the jawbone of an ass to perform a miraculous victory. “Near him [Samson] was the fresh jawbone of an ass; he reached out, grasped it, and with it killed a thousand men. Then Samson said, ‘With the jawbone of an ass I have piled them in a heap; With the jawbone of an ass I have slain a thousand men.’” [3] There was a priest that once joked, “If God can slay a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, imagine what he can do with me, a complete ass.”

The American hockey team pulled the greatest upset ever against the then unbeatable Soviet Union team. The coach’s speech speaks of what they were born to do, which was to play hockey. For the blind man in today’s Gospel, he was born so that Jesus could cure him of his blindness. We are all born to do something, our Vocation. Let us face the challenges, the opponents, and the obstacles that will stand in our way to be able to achieve victory here on earth and in Heaven.
 
Why did the blind man let Jesus smear mud on his eyes? The verb “smear” is translated from the word “anoint.” When we look at it in this context, we can see Jesus was not just making some mud and slapping it on the blind man’s eyes, but carefully anointing him. We are anointed at our Baptism and cleansed from the stain of original sin by the saving water. We can see that this falls right in line with Jesus telling the man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam after anointing his eyes.
 
Why is the Pool of Siloam important? The Pool of Siloam is important for three reasons. First, the word Siloam, which translates as ‘sent.’ So the Pool of Siloam is where the blind man is sent. Secondly, it is important because of who sent the blind man to the pool, Jesus. God himself is sending this man to the pool waters and restoring his sight through His power. This is a symbol of our own baptism in which we are led to the waters by our parents and Godparents to give us the light in our souls. Lastly, this pool was one of the landmarks of Jerusalem.  Hezekiah had a secret tunnel bored through 583 yards of solid rock in the hillside in order to bring water from the Gihon Spring, which was outside the city walls, into the city proper. (2Chr.32:2-8,30; Isa.22:9-11; 2Kgs.20:20) At the Feast of Sukkoth, (also known as the Festival of Tabernacles or Booths) water from this pool was brought by one of the priests to the temple with great trumpet blasts while the people recited the words of Isaiah 12:3: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."

The water from the Pool of Siloam was poured together with wine beside the altar and ultimately flowed into the Kidron Valley. This was both a thanksgiving offering for the summer harvest and a petition that God would continue to provide water and growth for the newly planted seeds for the next harvest. It was during the Feast of Sukkoth that Jesus identified himself as the source of this life-giving water (John 7:37). Jesus gave not only physical sight to the blind man but spiritual vision as well.  That is why Jesus proclaimed himself the "light of the world" (John 9:4). This miracle at the Pool of Siloam points to the source of the miraculous life-giving water, which Jesus offers through the gift of the Holy Spirit. (John 7:38)  Do you thirst for this life-giving water? [4]
 
During the Feast of Sukkoth, the water and wine being poured together beside the altar and ultimately flowing into the Kidron Valley, is similar to what occurs at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is at the Mass that the deacon, or the Priest, pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” [5] In the person of Christ, humanity and divinity are united. The water and wine become the blood and water which flows forth from the Cross into the valley of the shadow of death to bring life to the world. When the man was filled with the light of Christ he was immediately brought to the Pharisees to give testimony of Jesus. He was asked to defend Jesus’ actions and give proof of what took place. In our own lives, when we receive the Sacraments, when we receive him in the Most Blessed Sacrament we are asked to give a testament to our faith and our Church.
 
Why did Jesus perform a miracle on the Sabbath? He wanted to try and soften the Pharisees’ hardness of heart by working a miracle: "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin." [6]
 
We see miracles all around us, yet we are quick to disregard them in our everyday world. Even during Christ’s time, he performed miracle after miracle yet the hearts of the people were still hardened. Just as Christ performed miracles while he was here on earth in order to soften the hearts of those around Him, God still performs miracles in order to soften our hearts enough that we may come to believe in Him.
 
What is a miracle? A miracle is an unexpected event attributed to God. It is above, outside, or beyond the natural order of things and beyond the realm of natural possibility. By definition, miracles are not ordinary but extraordinary; they are not natural but supernatural. We sometimes ask why there are not more miracles, but the fact is that God works through the ordinary all the time and only sometimes through the extraordinary. If we are consumed with looking for God in the extraordinary, we will miss Him in the ordinary.  
 
What is the process of validating a miracle? There is a designated organization within the Vatican called The Congregation for the Causes of Saints that reviews and approves all miracles. The process of determining miracles must follow certain rules that are laid out in the apostolic constitution. First, the bishop of the diocese where the presumed miracle has taken place opens the case with testimonies and fact checking. Once the bishop is satisfied and gives his approval, the case is sent to the Congregation which examines the documents that were sent and makes the ultimate judgment on the case.

Why do miracles matter? Miracles are small but very powerful examples of God’s love for us. They are a testament of how God is in control in all things. He isn’t at some great distance looking at us from afar but is lovingly close by us. Miracles are also intended to help bring us back to God. They are examples for us to believe, repent, and turn and to Christ and remain faithful to God. 

[1] From a treatise on John by Saint Augustin, bishop
[2] Romans 5:20 [Liturgy of the Hours; Week I, Tuesday, Daytime Prayer]
[3] Judges 15:15-16
[4] http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/john9v1.htm
[5] The Order of the Mass I
[6] John 15:24