When God opens our eyes

A sermon by Fr Fabian Dicom

There is a moment in every spiritual journey when we are asked to see more than we are comfortable seeing. Not with our physical eyes, but with something deeper – the eyes of the heart.

Each of today’s readings is about vision. Not the vision of ordinary sight, but the vision that changes everything – the kind that shifts our understanding of who we are, where we are and what God is doing.

Abraham looks up and sees the stars. Paul sees people who are living blind to their true calling/identity/citizenship. Peter, James and John see Jesus as they have never seen Him before.

But here’s the thing: God didn’t change. Reality didn’t change. They changed.

The real spiritual life is not about asking God to do something new. It is about seeing what God has been doing all along.

Abraham: Seeing the Promise in the Dark

Abraham is old. His wife is barren. The promise God made to him seems impossible: that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and that through him, all nations would be blessed. He is staring at his own life, and all he sees is lack.

And then God does something strange. He takes Abraham outside.

Now, Abraham has seen the night sky before. He has looked at the stars a thousand times. But this time, God tells him: Look again.

This is not about stars. It is about perspective. Abraham has been looking at his life from his own limited viewpoint. God is asking him to see from God’s viewpoint.

How often do we get stuck in the smallness of our own view? We focus on what we don’t have, what isn’t working, what seems impossible. But what if the only thing missing is our ability to see what God is already doing?

Paul: Seeing where we truly belong

Paul, in the second reading, warns that many people are living as enemies of the cross. That’s a strong phrase. But he’s not talking about people who hate God – he’s talking about people who live as if this world is all there is.

“The things they think important are earthly things.”

The real question is not: Do you believe in God? The real question is: What reality do we live in?

Where do we place your security? What really drives our decisions? Are we awake to the deeper reality of God’s presence, or are we just surviving?

Paul reminds us: We belong to something bigger than this world. But that reality is only real to those who can see it.

The Transfiguration: Seeing what was always there

Then we come to the Gospel. The disciples go up the mountain with Jesus, and suddenly, everything changes. His face shines. His clothes become dazzling white. They see Moses and Elijah.

But here’s the key: Jesus did not change. He was always like this.

The glory was not added. It was only revealed.

The disciples are not witnessing a transformation in Jesus. They are experiencing a transformation in their own ability to see Him as He truly is.

And what is their first reaction? Fear.

Because real seeing is always unsettling. It shakes us. It disrupts our comfortable little world. It demands a response.

Peter immediately tries to contain it: “Let’s build three tents.” He wants to freeze the moment, to make it manageable. But faith is not about managing God. It is about allowing ourselves to be undone by God.

We do this too. We build our own “tents” – structures of comfort, routine, and certainty – hoping to hold on to a spiritual high or keep faith within boundaries we can control. (Perhaps our tent is here – the church, perhaps our tent is our daily masses, perhaps our tent is our prayer group or meditation group, perhaps our tent is praise and worship, perhaps my tent is here – the cultic priesthood focusing on rituals and rites)

And then the voice comes from the cloud: “This is my Son. Listen to Him.”

Not “analyse Him.” Not “control this experience.” Just listen. Just see.

The challenge: Seeing transforms us

These readings are not about Abraham, Paul, or the disciples. They are about us. They are about the moments when we are invited to see differently.

We might wonder: What does this mean for our daily lives?

Think of the struggles you face right now. Maybe it’s a personal disappointment, a fractured relationship, or uncertainty about the future. Often, we pray for God to change our situation. But what if God is asking us to change our way of seeing?

A mother struggling with her rebellious child may only see defiance – until she realizes the child is hurting and needs reassurance more than punishment. A person burdened by financial insecurity may only see shortage/lack – until he recognizes the blessings of community, support, and daily sustenance. Someone battling illness may only see weakness – until she experiences the unexpected strength that comes from surrendering to God’s grace.

And what about the social realities around us? Do we see poverty, injustice, and suffering only as problems to be solved – or do we see Christ present in the marginalized? When we hear about refugees, the homeless, or the exploited, do we only see statistics – or do we recognize them as our brothers and sisters, calling us to action?

You will be able to testify to this – because this is true in all our lives. Because when we have truly seen, ….and I believe that at certain times in our lives we have truly seen…

When we truly see, it transforms us.

The disciples saw Jesus differently, and they were never the same. Paul saw where we truly belong, and it shaped his entire life. Abraham saw the stars, and it changed his trust in God’s promise.

What if the answers we seek are already in front of us, but we are not recognizing them? What if the problem is not that God is absent, but that we are not perceiving His presence? What if faith is not just about believing, but about seeing with new eyes?

The spiritual life is not about making things happen. It is about allowing ourselves to be shown what is already happening.

So here is the real question:

What might God be trying to show you right now? What in your life – and in the world – needs to be seen differently?

Because once you truly see, you can never be the same.

Amen.

This homily was delivered by Fr Fabian Dicom for the second Sunday of Lent.