Seeing Is Believing

Connecting natural and supernatural eyesight

12/04/2020

Matthew 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

Many years ago a friend asked me a strange question. Of all of my five sense, which one could I not live without? That is, which sense would I be willing to sacrifice, if I had to lose one: sight, smell, taste, touch or hearing? For me, hands down, my favorite sense is sight, the ability to see. Which sense would you not want to sacrifice? During this pandemic, some people affected by the COVID-19 virus have temporarily lost their sense of taste and smell. I think it would have been far worse if the virus had caused temporary blindness.

Seeing, though, is not only a natural sense, it is intimately connected with a spiritual sense, that is, our desire to see God. Seeing is also a supernatural sense. All the joy we find in seeing a beautiful sunset, sharing pictures of our grandchildren, gazing into the eyes of the one we love, eating a cheesecake with my eyes before I eat it with my fork, is all oriented toward and a glimpse of the ultimate seeing, namely, seeing God. We see a little of the Creator in all of his creation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls this the “Beatific Vision.” We read in no. 1028: “Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it.” The Catechism continues: “The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory ‘the beatific vision.’” As you can probably guess, the word “beatific” means “blessed.” That is, God is the blessed vision, he is blessed in himself. But when we see him in heaven, we, too, become blessed. This is why I never want to lose my sense of sight, neither my natural sight not my supernatural sight called faith. The two work in tandem.

In the gospel today we should not be shocked to see two men who ask Jesus to restore their sight. They were blind and begged Jesus: “Son of David, have pity on us!” They don’t even attempt to articulate what they want because it is so obvious that all people desire to see. But notice how Jesus connects their natural sense of seeing to their supernatural sense of seeing, namely, faith. He says: “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” In other words, yes the human capacity to open our eyes and behold the beauty of the world is a great gift.

But there is a far greater gift, a greater sort of seeing, called faith. That spiritual seeing will lead you to the goal of all seeing, namely, the Beatific Vision, to see God. In explaining the ecstasy of the Beatific Vision, St. Thomas Aquinas quoted 1 Cor. 13:12: “Now, we see darkly as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face.” In other words, seeing God face to face is the Beatific Vision, and that is why I never want to lose my sense of sight.

Today is the feast of St. John Damascene. A few weeks ago, I texted Fr. Andrew Hart to ask him who was the last great Church Father? He immediately texted back, “St. John Damascene in the 8th century.” You can look things up in “Wikipedia” or you can text “Fr. Andrewpedia.” St. John Damascene was also known for his encyclopedic knowledge, being well versed in algebra, geometry, music, astronomy and of course theology. But St. John also lived during the “iconoclasm controversy.” That was when many people promoted the removal of sacred images from churches and public places: no statues, no stained glass, etc.

St. John Damascene fought fiercely in defense of religious images because he believed they helped us to see spiritually. Just as Jesus healed the two blind men in the gospel, and ultimately helped them to see with the eyes of faith, so statues, rosaries, candles, etc. help us to see naturally as well as supernaturally. St. John Damascene’s teaching was defended and defined at the great Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. Perhaps St. John, too, would have sacrificed his other senses before giving up his sight.

I cannot wait for this pandemic to be over so we can come to Mass without masks. Why is that so important? Well, because then we will be able to see each other’s full faces, eyes as well as smiles. So we can see each other face to face. That, too, is a glimpse of God, until we get to see God himself face to face in the Beatific Vision in heaven.

Praised be Jesus Christ!