The Flashlight Lesson
On the third week of Lent, the Lenten Table held the strangest object yet: a little bowl of clean dirt and a tiny flashlight beside it.
A note read: “LET JESUS OPEN YOUR EYES.”
Leo wrinkled his nose. “Why dirt?”
“Because today’s Gospel is about a man who couldn’t see,” Mom said, “and Jesus used mud to help him. It reminds us that God can use simple things to do big work.”
That afternoon, Rosa and Leo made a “Seeing Challenge” for their family. They cut a strip of cloth for blindfolds and drew a path with sidewalk chalk.
Rule one: no peeking.
Rule two: the guide must speak kindly.
Dad tried first. With the blindfold on, he reached his hands out like a sleepy robot. “I can’t tell where the steps are!” he said.
Rosa guided him gently. “One step… now stop… now turn.” Dad made it safely and cheered.
Then it was Leo’s turn. At first, he joked and tried to hop, but the world went dark, and his stomach fluttered.
Rosa took his hand. “I’ve got you,” she said.
Leo slowed down. He listened to her voice. The path felt longer than it looked.
When the blindfold came off, Leo noticed something new: how much he needed help.
He also noticed something else. His younger sister, Millie, was standing nearby, frowning. H remembered that she had spilled juice earlier, and Leo said something rude to her.
Leo glanced at the Lenten Table through the window. The flashlight sat there like a quiet reminder.
Leo walked over to Millie. “Hey,” he said softly, “I was kind of mean before. I’m sorry.”
Millie’s face brightened. “I forgive you,” she said, and handed him a sticker. That made him laugh.
At dinner, Dad turned off the lights for a moment and clicked on the flashlight so it made a small circle on the wall.
“Sometimes,” Dad said, “we can see with our eyes, but still miss what matters, like someone’s feelings.”
Mom nodded. “Jesus helps us see people the right way.”
Before bed, Rosa moved the flashlight a tiny bit so its beam landed on the bowl of dirt. She imagined Jesus making mud, simple, ordinary, then doing something extraordinary.
Leo whispered, “Jesus, help me see what I’m missing.”
The Lenten Table didn’t answer with words, but in the quiet, it felt like their hearts were opening.
From the Lenten Table Series, inspired by John 9:1-41 (The Man Born Blind).
