Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 8:6-13.20-22; Mark 8:22-26)
Today’s gospel shows Jesus curing by stages. After he puts spittle on the blind man’s eyes
and laid hands on him, the man sees, but not well. People look to him like trees that walk. But after a second laying on of hands, the
man sees others distinctly – young and old, tall and short, men and women.
The gradual process by which the blind man comes to see
clearly resembles the way Pope Francis is asking the world to recognize
undocumented immigrants. At first, they will be seen as problems, that is, separated
from their humanity and draining the host country’s resources. But coming to know them, the nationals will
realize that most immigrants want to work and live in peace.
Immigration is a difficult issue. It won’t end soon or be
resolved easily. Countries like the United
States need to amend their laws to accommodate more outsiders. To be sure, such changes will still leave some
immigrants in difficult situations. But they would increase host country nationals’ awareness of the poor and, perhaps,
increase the hope of prospective immigrants.
