Gospel in Art: There was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging

Mute and blind to the world, by Yashashri Rao, 2019, © Yashashri Rao

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 14 November 2022
Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus drew near to Jericho there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.' The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.' Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Sir,' he replied 'let me see again.' Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.' And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.

Reflection on the painting

This recent painting (2019) by Yashashri Rao, a self-taught artist born in India but working in the United States, may illustrate a reflection by author José Saramago, "the only thing more terrifying than blindness is being the only one who can see." The blind man in the gospel story is the only one who sees Jesus truly with the eyes of faith, ignoring the words of rebuke by the crowd. Obeying them would have muted him. How often do we hear (or imagine) the words of others or even ourselves and silence our heart's voice about what we need to do at a given time or place along our road?

Sometimes using different translations of Scripture, it can be helpful to ponder the ways in which Jesus' used his eyes: "he looked up and saw the crowds approaching … turned and saw … looked at … gazed on … observed … noticed … watched … witnessed … contemplated …". When facing what is happening in front of our eyes we need to take the advice of Constantin Brâncuși about his sculptures, "Look at [them] until you see them. Those closest to God have seen them."

Today's reflection is written by Sister Pauline Darby SHCJ. Born in Preston, England, Sister Pauline taught for a few years before training as a facilitator and worked with schools and parishes in different dioceses in addition to religious congregations at home and abroad. Pauline uses art in both facilitation and retreat settings and is herself a keen iconographer. Currently she is serving in Rome as leader of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-18-35-43-2022/