Today’s readings contain some of the most recognizable and applicable verses for me from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 6, ” Can a blind person guide a blind person?” Many times, parents feel as if they are the blind leading the blind.  The weary new mother is handed a precious bundle and sent home to raise the child in a harsh world with no experience as a full-time mom. What is the right way, the best way, the safest way to raise a child of God? Even wearier parents of teenagers are met with new and unexpected challenges as their young adults become increasingly more exposed to the dangers ahead. Many times, I’ve felt blind to the needs of my children and blindsided by the trials of motherhood. 

We do not see the trials ahead, and in our blindness, we do stumble. Through the stumbling, we learn to see the light of Christ working in our daily lives. We learn to acknowledge our weaknesses and to listen, to pray, to trust. The closer we get to Christ, the less blinded we are by the world. We learn to see the lessons in our stumbles and the grace that holds us up. We learn how to forgive others and, with time, ourselves. The stones in the road teach us to value the suffering of Christ, savior of the world. Our eyes are opened to eternal gratitude through self-reflection. 

“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye” (Lk 6:42).

Being blind in the beginning of our journey humbles the soul. It gives us room to learn compassion for others and gratitude for the grace of experiential wisdom. As we grow, we are afforded the opportunity to share the light of Christ with others from a place of knowing, not from a place of judgment. The words of Psalm 92:3 express the desires of my heart, “to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night … Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.”

There is a sense of solidarity with those who share our blindness. We know what it is like to live in darkness and to give joyous witness to the light. We grow along with our children, as well as our fellow parents. We lean on each other in our blindness, walking at times hand in hand.  We seek wisdom from those who have traveled similar paths and stand on the other side in victory. Our path from blindness to sight is paved by the community of believers before us and passed on to our children who follow. “The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had” (Sir 27:6).

When you feel blind, lost, or uncertain of the path to take as you move through your vocation, lean on those around you united in prayer and recall the words of St. Paul, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).