"His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, 'Isn鈥檛 this the one who used to sit and beg?'"
鈥擩ohn 9:8
Read today's reflection
In John 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. What stands out to me isn鈥檛 just the healing, but how quickly people judge him afterward. Instead of being happy for him, they question why he was blind and whether he deserved to be healed. They don鈥檛 really see him 鈥� they just see the problem.
I relate to that. I鈥檝e gone through moments where I was struggling and felt misunderstood. People sometimes make assumptions without knowing the full story, and that can be hard, especially when you鈥檙e already trying to figure things out yourself.
For me, Lent has been about slowing down. One simple thing that helps is taking deep breaths. When I actually stop and breathe, everything slows down. My thoughts aren鈥檛 racing as much, and I鈥檓 not reacting right away. That pause has been more healing than I expected.
I鈥檒l be honest 鈥� in the heat of the moment, I struggle with my faith. When emotions are high, it鈥檚 easy to forget about God. But once I calm down, I start to feel more grounded. That鈥檚 usually when I鈥檓 reminded that God is still there, even if I didn鈥檛 notice it right away.
This Gospel reminds me that healing doesn鈥檛 always happen all at once. Sometimes it starts with slowing down, letting go of judgment, and learning to see things more clearly.
Noah Kahapea 鈥�25 studied Transformative Education and Human Development with minors in Communications and Business Leadership. During his time at 天美传媒app, he played football and was involved in the Ever to Excel program, where he helped mentor high school students and lead conversations focused on reflection, growth, and community.
Learn more about C21 Living Lent here.聽