Praised be Jesus and Mary, now and forever.
This morning's readings talk to us about how grateful we should be for the gift of sight, both physical exterior sight and also spiritual and interior sight.
First, we see the blind man in today's gospel when he is asked by our Lord, what do you want me to do for you?
He answered, Master, I want to see.
Can you imagine how great the desire was this man to have his vision restored to him?
He probably heard of other miracles that had taken place that Jesus, this prophet, this miracle worker, is around, and he's getting anxious and excited about the possibility of having his sight restored.
So there's this great desire.
And then we see in today's first reading from the book of Sirach and also in the responsorial Psalm, the praise of God and His work.
So this talks about the creation, right, and I think probably most of us on a daily basis take for granted this gift of sight that enables us to see God's works, the beauty of them, the wisdom, the providence that provides for everything and to praise Him in that.
But even more importantly than physical sight and appreciating the beauty of God's creation is that of spiritual and interior sight.
And this is what our Lord talks about when He says, your faith has saved you.
Faith is that gift of God, just like our physical sight is a gift of God.
So faith is a gift of God that comes down from above and enables us to see, to know, and to understand spiritual things.
To know the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This is the truth.
This is the truth we'll be celebrating on Sunday.
To know Jesus Christ, whom He has sent, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, true God and true man.
These are spiritual things that we can only know by the gift of faith.
To know the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate.
To know the angels and the saints, the spiritual life, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the virtues, the path to heaven, and eternal life.
All of these things we should be so grateful to God for having this gift.
And we should live life in abundance every day, right, enjoying God's creation, the gift He has given us to be able to see it.
We're blessed to live here at this beautiful retreat center.
And just like St. Francis, the creation should lead us to the contemplation of the Creator and all of these spiritual things.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

If you would like to grow in love and knowledge of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, consider a subscription to the Missio Immacalatae magazine.
The Missio is a bi-monthly magazine published by the Franciscans of the Immaculate for over 15 years.
Every issue of the Missio features articles about Our Lady's privileges and her mission in the Church and world for the sanctification and conversion of souls.
The Missio takes to heart the ancient saying of the Church, De Maria Numquam Satis, of Mary you can never say enough.
You can subscribe online at missiomagazine.com, that's m-i-s-s-i-o-magazine.com, or go to the homepage of airmaria.com.
Back issues of the Missio are also available upon request.
The Missio is a practical way to behold your mother and take her into your home.
Ave Maria.