(Mark 8)
More chocolate is sold for Valentine’s Day than for any other day of the year. “Sweets for the sweet,” they say. In the United States Valentine’s Day has a definite romantic flavor, but this is not true all over. In Latin America, February 14 is Día de Amistad, Friendship Day. People celebrate the gift of friendship, which as the rose taught the Little Prince, makes a person special.
Could the gospel today be telling us that faith is a way of seeing people as special? We remember that faith is a new way of seeing. When Jesus puts spittle on the blind man’s eyes, the man begins to see people but only as walking trees. That’s a very imperfect faith as it misses most of the wonder of what it means to be human. When Jesus lays his hands on the man again, he sees perfectly. People, we may surmise, are no longer quiet and rigid like trees. No, they become communicative and lively. They are at least potential friends.
Faith, of course, is primarily a relationship with God. It sees God as one who cares for all His creatures, especially humankind. Our relationship with God then implies a positive regard of others, again especially of humans. As God’s concern, we want to know many and different kinds of people, to help them, and to love them. We want to treat them as special. We want them to be our friends.
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