Prime Time Kids' Mass
(B - cycle)  September  25,  2009

Jesus cured a blind man in the Gospel.  What was the blind man’s name? What a wonderful thing that was for Bartimaeus! What would you miss most of all if you couldn’t see? (one said colors, another the faces of mom and dad).  When the gospels talk about blindness, they’re thinking about more than just ordinary blindness, they’re also talking about a kind of spiritual blindness we call lack of faith. Faith is a gift of God that gives us the power to see things other people can’t see.

To give you an example, let me tell you about Cassie, the TV dog. Cassie was a yorkie who lived with a family that had four other dogs. When the TV was on, the other dogs couldn’t see anything. Here’s how they were when cartoons were on; here’s how they were when commercials were on, etc. (same dull expression).  But Cassie had the gift of seeing what was on the screen, and she would watch TV like we do. When other dogs or any kinds of animals were on the screen, she would run up to it an bark at them. One thing that really got her going was the Pillsbury Doughboy. The TV opened up a whole new world for Cassie, and that is what faith does for us.

Because God has given us the gift of faith, we know things that other people are blind to. We know there is a God who loves us like our moms and dads do. We know God has sent his son Jesus to show us how to live, and that Jesus loves us so much he died for us. We know Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter, and that good people like those in our families who have died are alive with him. We know they are in a place of perfect happiness we call heaven.

Sometimes people ask if dogs go to heaven, I think they do, and all our pets do. I hope if I get there, I’ll see Cassie again.