By Madeline Mauro
In last week’s daily Mass, we read the Gospel of Matthew 6:22–23, which contains an important scriptural message from Jesus about our eyes and how they respond to the world and to God. Here is the full text (NIV):
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Right before Jesus gives us this statement, He says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And right after referencing the eye as a lamp, Jesus goes on to say, “No one can serve two masters; he will hate the one and love the other.”
As I reflected on His words—if the eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light—I found myself questioning what happens to those who lose an eye, go blind, or are born blind. We know that in the biblical context of John 9:1–3, the disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” At that time, it was widely understood that physical suffering, illness, or disability was a direct punishment for a specific sin.
But Jesus turned this concept completely on its head. It made me think of the incredible potential we are given when God is by our side; the impossible breaks through.
Even when the person God is instrumentally working through is unaware of it—as may have been the case with Anne Sullivan, who tutored Helen Keller—Divine Love is so real, so objective, and so powerful that it can move through a person’s life so profoundly that those with faith can see it unfolding. It makes me smile to think of how often God uses us without our knowing it. As Spiritual Directors, we have the privilege of asking directees to look at their lives from another perspective by putting on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5, Romans 12:2): Lord, enlighten us to see as You see, think as You think, and love as You love. Yet, there is one caveat that I have noticed: we must get over feeling sorry for ourselves so that God’s power can flow within us (Matthew 10:26–27). We seek the fire and love of God to burn away sin, to ignite our will to love more deeply, and to give us the strength to endure with hope and courage to walk out of the darkness towards His divine light. The freedom to see in the light is exactly what this article aims to provide.
Through prayer and reflection, three distinct aspects emerged that I would like to share.
The first aspect is that, while we know that all other religions and traditions offer a glimpse of God, we, as Christians, indisputably believe that everything from God is good and that all good comes from Him (James 1:17–18). We stand alone on a solid foundation: Christianity hinges entirely on the Incarnation—God becoming flesh and blood, dying, and resurrecting. Because Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine, He brings the redemptive power that bridges the gap by bringing divine love directly into the human framework to heal all the blocks of darkness we might carry. We are called to more than just transcending the body or reaching a certain state of mind. We are a family, and our relationship is with our Creator!
The second aspect stems from the initial inspiration I had to write this article, which was beautifully expanded when my priest, Father Rafael, brought another layer to my attention. He shared how Mother Teresa offers us a profound example of the mind-body connection. Even though we know she endured intense periods of spiritual desolation, she intuitively understood that smiling had a positive effect. Today, we know that smiling can activate neural pathways and release neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, influencing our body’s chemistry. Something as simple as our own smile can keep us in a good mood.
In my certification training for Brainspotting, Dr. David Grand’s therapeutic approach uses a core catchphrase: where you look affects how you feel. The eyes are like minicomputers that feed into the main brain computer. Not only that, but we also know that when a blockage occurs—such as experienced trauma, pain, or things contrary to God’s love—the nervous system gets clogged up, trapping the darkness inside. The brain remembers; the body stores what has not yet been brought into the light. We learned that even when the eye is not physically able to see, the visual cortex behind it stores memories and emotions. I even noticed how the brain and nervous system look a lot like a jellyfish!
The third and final aspect brings us directly to the remedy Jesus provided for His family.
There are men who feel called to dedicate their lives to the service of God by listening to our confessions and helping bring hidden darkness into the light. For over 2,000 years, men have responded to this call to continue the Ministerial Priesthood of Christ. But that is not the only priesthood; through our baptism, we are also adopted to serve in the common royal priesthood.
Some of us are called to enter directly into the suffering of our sisters and brothers. To be fully present and attentive to another person is a profound act of love. Most of my own ministry is dedicated to holding sacred space for the human beings God so tenderly loves. Everyone yearns to be heard and to find someone who will truly listen to what they need to say.
So often, these sessions become a safe place for an individual to unravel the knots that keep them stuck in the past or fearful of the future. As we become aware of our own blind spots, we notice that the darkness quickly loses its grip. It only stays dark when it is kept hidden.
I like to use this metaphor: when we enter a dark room, the very first thing we do is turn on the light. That light switch is our hope in Christ, and when it is turned on, it quickly overcomes the darkness. It is pointless to let fear stay hidden. Jesus came to restore us from the world’s darkness by opening our eyes with a Divine Love that actually comes down and touches our physical bodies.
We must always remember that our God interacts with us right at our human level. He came and stooped down to our sinfulness by becoming one of us—yet without sin—and did the unthinkable by taking our place in death to bring us back to Himself (Hebrews 4:15). There is no other religion on earth that can claim a love greater than this!
So, as we reflect on the eyes as the windows of our souls, we realize the brain can truly remap its pathways. That’s right, we can teach old dogs new tricks. We can remake the bed we have lain in for so long. We can get up, pick up our mats, and walk. More often than not, the mind becomes diseased when it loses sight of its ultimate antidote: the healing grace of God.
It is always interesting to see how medical professionals, too, recognize the need for God’s love. Dr. Karl Menninger, after decades of work in psychotherapy, famously noted that most psychological maladies stem from one simple truth: “It is unlove that makes people unwell, and it is love and love alone that can make them well again.”
I will end with this meditation on the beautiful promises of Jesus from John 12:46 (NIV):
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
We just need to trust Jesus by His Word. He truly is Mercy and Love Itself!