Daily Catholic Lectio
Mon, 16 Nov 2026
XXXIII Week in Ordinary Time
Rev 1:1-4; 2:1-5; Lk 18:35-43
Seeing Again
The healing of a blind man is found in all three Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In each account, the event takes place as Jesus approaches Jerusalem. We can read this miracle not only as a healing, but also as a symbol. A blind man, someone who has never seen Jesus, recognises Him and calls Him “Son of David.” At the same time, those who are physically close to Jesus often fail to understand who He really is.
Luke gives us one detail that is especially important for our reflection today.
The blind man notices that a crowd is passing by and asks, “What is this?”
In Greek, the question is ti eiē touto? — “What might this be?” or “What is happening?”
This simple question changes the direction of his life.
Perhaps he senses that something unusual is happening. Perhaps his heart tells him that this moment is different from all the others. Perhaps he feels that Someone he has been waiting for is passing close to him. Perhaps, like a person holding an empty vessel, he senses that an inexhaustible source is passing by. Perhaps he feels that the One who created him is passing near him.
God is passing by. The crowd is passing by. But the blind man stops.
In a single moment, he makes a decision. He asks: “What is this?”
Sometimes this question arises because we do not understand what is happening. At other times, it arises from wonder: “Many things have happened in my life, but what is this? Why does this moment feel different?”
When we ask such questions, people around us may not always help. Some may answer us. Some may avoid answering. Some may even silence us.
In the Gospel, the crowd plays both roles. First, they become a help. They tell him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” That information opens the way for him.
But when he begins to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”, the same crowd becomes an obstacle and tells him to be quiet.
This happens in life too. The people around us can sometimes become stepping stones and sometimes stumbling blocks. Yet if the desire to know remains alive, we will eventually find the answer.
The blind man continues to cry out, and Jesus stops.
Then Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The man answers clearly: “Lord, let me see again.”
Two things are striking here.
First, he knows exactly what he needs.
This is an important question for us too. Do I know what I truly need today? When I pray, are my desires clear? When I speak with others, do I understand what I am really asking for? Many times we live with a deep dissatisfaction without being able to name it. This man can name his need.
Second, he says, “Let me see again.”
Some understand this to mean that he once had sight and later lost it. But there is also a deeper spiritual meaning. He has already seen Jesus with the eyes of faith. Before his physical eyes are opened, his inner eyes recognise Jesus as the Son of David.
The first sight is interior. The second is physical.
When the inner vision becomes clear, the outer vision often becomes clearer too.
Today, the Gospel asks us to stop.
As people pass us, as events unfold around us, as life moves quickly, let us learn to ask: “What is this?”
This one question can change the direction of our life. It can help us leave behind an old way of living and discover a new path.
But we should not ask “What is this?” merely to investigate the private lives of others or to judge them. The question must arise within us. It must help us examine our own life, our own choices, our own desires, and our own relationship with God.
Sometimes faith begins with a question.
And sometimes one sincere question is enough to make Jesus stop.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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