Yet the Spirit who dwells within us helps us to exercise the divine, compassionate parts of our nature. We can become more like Christ. Most parents would rather be loved by their children than feared by them. So it is with God. The point of spiritual exercises at Lent and at other times is not to offer sacrifice to a God we fear, but to grow closer to a God we love.
Vision sees beyond today, beyond appearances, beyond the obvious.
It gives a sense of direction and compels us forward. Without vision, the people perish. Jesus cured the blind, but his real concern was to impart God's vision. Jesus presents a Kingdom where compassion, justice and mercy reign, where life, not death, gets the last word. Few of us can cure a sick child as Jesus did, bringing joy and relief to his worried father with one deed.