We
are all called, like the man born blind in the Gospel today, to not
let sin continue to blind us, but to reject sin and be reconciled in
our relationship with Jesus so that our eyes may be opened and we may
truly walk in the light. Unfortunately, sometimes being brought
into the light can be rather difficult. As the old saying goes, it’s
often easier said than done. We might be scared to realize how
sinful we really are or how far we have wondered away from God.
The
ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote about human ignorance and how
difficult it is for any of us to be made aware of the truth. This is
known as the “Allegory of the Cave”. He tells us to imagine an
underground cave. In a large chamber of this cave are men who have
been prisoners there since they were small children. They have been
chained in such a way so that they cannot move around at all. They
can only look straight ahead at the back of the cave. Behind them
and slightly above (maybe an overhanging cliff) a fire has been
built. In front of that fire a curtain-wall has been placed so that
other men can carry objects between the fire and the curtain and make
shadow puppets. These shadows are then projected onto the wall at
the back of the cave that the prisoners are forced to look at. Now
remember, those men have been there since childhood and have no
recollection of what life is like outside of that cave. When all
they see are those shadows moving around, they think those shadows
are the real thing. There isn’t anything making those shadows,
they are as real as you or me. And if those shadow puppets are made
to talk by those who are making them, the sound is going to bounce
off of the cave wall and come to the prisoners, making them think
that the shadows themselves are making the sounds. To them their
whole truth, their whole reality, consists in those shadows.
Now,
Plato tells us, imagine if one of those prisoners is released from
his chains and is forced to stand and look at the fire and all the
objects that were used to make the shadows. We can suppose that this
would be difficult for him for two reasons. One would be that it
would hurt his eyes to look at that bright fire after spending years
looking only at shadows and reflected light. It’s like when we
spend some time in a dark room and someone turns the light on. The
other difficulty would be that he would see that his whole idea of
reality was being turned upside down. Everything he thought was real
is now shown to be only a shadow of the real thing. This could be a
hard revelation for anyone to accept. Then, what if the person was
dragged out of the cave and was forced to see for the first time the
sun and the blue sky and water and trees and animals and people (and
snow if he was in Minnesota). Again, the brightness alone might be
enough to stumble back into the cave and never come out again. Again
the shock at realizing that everything he had known as truth was
really just a fake reproduction of the real things outside of the
cave would be overwhelming.
Eventually
though, the man would get used to seeing things and will realize the
beauty and the truth of the things he sees outside of the cave.
Maybe he would even go back into the cave and try to explain what he
saw to his companions and convince them to come with him out of the
cave and into the bright light of truth. We can imagine their
reactions. Some wouldn’t believe him. They might even try to kill
him for suggesting such things. Others might try to go with him, but
on seeing the light, they retreat back into the darkness. Still
others may join him in the true reality outside of the cave.
Accepting this new reality can be difficult, but it is well worth it
for those who have accepted it.
The
Allegory of the Cave can be very easily applied to our own struggles
with sin and growing in our relationship with Jesus Christ. When St.
Paul says in his Letter to the Ephesians today, “You were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” he is telling us that
to live in sin is to live in darkness, but when we turn to the Lord
we become children of the light. So when we live a life of sin,
never thinking of coming back to Jesus through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, we are just like those men who have been chained
looking at shadows for their entire lives. We might not know it, but
our sense of reality has been distorted when we live a life of sin.
Think about it: when we get into the habit of doing a sin again and
again, we eventually forget what it was like before we did that sin.
We can’t imagine our life without that sin. We are blind.
When
someone comes to us and tries to tell us to give up that sinful habit
or go to reconciliation, depending on how long it’s been since we
went to confession, our reaction might be very similar to that man
who was first released or his companions when he tries to talk to
them. We might be scared to go. Maybe we’re afraid of how hard it
will be or afraid of what the priest will say. We might get angry at
the person who tries to convince us to repent of our sins. “I’m
fine just the way I am! Don’t bother me!” When we finally let
go of our fears, anxieties, anger and whatever else we are feeling,
and we finally allow ourselves to come into the light outside of our
musty old cave through Reconciliation, then our blindness is cured
and we can see as God wants us to see.
In
the Gospel today, the man born blind is able to leave the darkness of
his blindness behind and truly see the light of truth in all its
glory. The Pharisees, however, are too afraid to leave the comfort
of their cave. Though they think they can see matters of faith just
fine, they are really blind, as Jesus points out in His little
word-play at the end of the Gospel. We are called to have the
courage like the young man and not let fear hold us back as it did
for the Pharisees.
What
are we afraid of? Are we afraid of having to admit to what we have
done? Are we afraid of confessing those sins? Are we afraid of
getting closer to God out of fear of what He might ask us to do? Are
we afraid of what the Church is teaching: about life; about justice;
about marriage? Do not be afraid, my brothers and sisters, for it is
only the light. We are talking about God, and He will bring us to
the truth.
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