A young woman had been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that causes a gradual and permanent loss of vision. For some time she was able to function without any assistance - in fact, she had maintained her independence throughout college and graduate school. But as her vision slowly deteriorated, she could not accept the reality that she would have to make some adjustments in her life. She worried how others would perceive her: She did not want anyone’s sympathy or pity. She kept a white cane in her brief case - but was too self-conscious to use it. So she ran into walls and doors and signs all the time; on the subway and on buses, she would often stand because she could not make her way to an open seat.
She was content to continue bumping into things rather than being recognized as a blind person - until her perspective changed. She was walking alongside a building she was familiar with. When she sensed the corner approaching, she moved away slightly so her shoulder wouldn't brush against it. Suddenly she realized her feet were no longer on the ground. When she felt she was again on the sidewalk, she stopped and looked back. What had changed around the corner? Then she saw him: She could make out the shape of a homeless man who was asleep on the pavement. He was unaware of what she had just realized - that she had walked right over him. Fortunately, she hadn’t hurt him. But she knew that if she had used her cane, this never would have happened.
She now recognizes the absurdity of her fears and pride about her blindness. She now uses the cane. She not only accepts her condition but she is secure with herself and her abilities to deal with it and “see” her way through her life.
In the light of his resurrection, the Easter Christ shows us the fullness of the life of God. We are not meant to be immobilized by our own inadequacies or our pride that our independence and sense of self might be compromised. Christ lifts Peter from his betrayal and entrusts to him the care of his church; he calls the fishermen from their nets on the Tiberius to embark on a new expedition that will take them across every sea and ocean. Like the woman who finally accepts her blindness and transforms her life in the process, like Peter and the disciples who are re-created in the forgiveness of the Risen One, may we rise above whatever limits us or discourages us from realizing the fullness of Easter joy in our lives. Easter’s empty tomb reveals the transformation that can be ours in seeking reconciliation with one another, in possessing the greatness of heart to forgive and seek forgiveness, in seeking that unique and total joy that comes only from putting the joy of others before our own.
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