At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’
- Luke 10:21-24
When I read this gospel lesson, I thought about a lesson I learned from my son Jason. Despite his developmental disability, I gain wisdom from his comments. He works at Lighthouse Louisiana in the manufacturing department where he has been employed for 14 years. His co-workers are vision impaired or have other disabilities.
At Lighthouse, they often have lunch events for employees. In past years in the spring they have had a “Luau” themed lunch. Jason was very excited about it and planned to wear his coconut bra on top of his Hawaiian shirt, and grass skirt. He also added his Elvis wig. I offered to drive him to work rather than ride his bike (although it would not be unusual to see someone on a bike in costume at 7:30 am in New Orleans). He said my co-workers will love to see my outfit. I said to Jason “your co-workers are blind and can’t see it”. He replied in exasperation, yes, Mom, they can see it. I will let them feel the coconuts and the grass skirt and tell them about the shirt. They will know what it looks like. Jason knows their vision beyond sight. He knows they see him as he is.
As Maria Elliott noted in her recent meditation, many of us have blindness, and recent events in our society regarding racism have made this crystal clear to me. When I learned about the significance of Juneteenth and the official end of slavery, I realized that date in June, 1865 was exactly 100 years before my high school graduation in June 1965, yet I knew nothing about it back then. As a child attending public schools in New Orleans, I remember “John McDonogh Day” near the end of the school year when we got dressed up and would go downtown to the statue of McDonogh and place flowers at the base. What I recently learned was that black children from public schools who would also get dressed up and go to the statue would have to wait in the sun, sometimes for hours, until after all the white children placed their flowers.
I’ve come to realize that one of the most important reasons to study history is to understand society and how our society was created. Learning about history allows us to look into what causes change. Hearing stories of those before us can inspire us to take action in our own lives. I’m glad to know that there is a movement now more than ever before to bring more black history into classrooms. It is beyond time for that. Knowing, understanding and accepting our past can have a huge impact on our future. When we open our eyes to racism in our society, we will all be better people and see more clearly what needs to be done to have a better future for everyone.
Open my eyes, that I may see, Glimpses of truth thou hast for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key, That shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for thee, Ready, my God, thy will to see. Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! Amen. - Clara H. Scott
