Daily Devotion for Lent 2017 - Day 20, Thursday

Today's Reading: John 9:35-41 (NRSV)

As we continue with the theme of spiritual blindness within John, it seems to be closely tied with humility.  The Pharisees who claim to see spiritually better than most, are told they are actually blind.  Their sin remains because they don't actually see half of their sins to begin with.

We might be able to find our inner
"Superman" more often if we acknowledge
that there are times we are more like Clark Kent.

As we consider self-esteem today, it may be that many people do not view themselves as sinful because they do not want to carry around that psychological baggage.  To see oneself as sinful might even prevent a person from living more fully to their potential as a child of God.  And so many eject the concept of sin from their worldview.  They may look at things that need to be corrected in life as errors or mistakes or even simply indiscretions.

Sin seems so heavy after all.

And yet, to acknowledge our own sins seems to be a part of the Christian tradition.  It does not mean that we have to view ourselves as worms.  But it does mean that forgiveness in Christ is also taken seriously.  Sin makes us aware that there are times we are not doing God's will.

Jesus is trying to get the Pharisees to understand this.  They can't see it though and so remain blind.

Lent is the time for self-reflection and this includes our own sins.  It may be that we can only dare to look with the help of Jesus Christ.

God help us all.

Prayer for the day:

Look upon us, O Lord,
and let all the darkness of our souls
vanish before the beams of thy brightness.
Fill us with holy love,
and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom.
All our desire is known unto thee,
therefore perfect what thou hast begun,
and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer.
We seek thy face,
turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory.
Then shall our longing be satisfied,
and our peace shall be perfect.  Amen.

    Augustine of Hippo, 354-430.


Photo by tom_bullock via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.