As the Church guides the faithful toward the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, the Sunday of the Blind Man is set before us as a profound revelation of both the mystery of Christ and the spiritual condition of humanity. The healing of the man born blind, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden, underlined, is not simply a miracle of physical restoration, but a disclosure of Christ as “the Light of the world” and of the human need for divine illumination.
“The man in today’s Gospel had never seen the light of day. From birth, he lived in darkness,” the Metropolitan noted, adding that the Fathers of the Church interpret this condition as an image of fallen humanity’s spiritual blindness, in which man may see with bodily eyes yet remain unable to perceive God, truth, or the meaning of existence.
Referring to the Lord’s words, “I am the Light of the world,” Metropolitan Cleopas emphasized that Christ’s mission is not limited to moral instruction, but is fundamentally transformative: the opening of the eyes of the soul. He also highlighted Saint John Chrysostom’s teaching that the making of clay and the healing of the blind man reveal Christ as the Creator Himself, bringing into being what did not previously exist.
The Metropolitan further connected the Gospel with the mystery of Holy Baptism, as prefigured in the Pool of Siloam, noting that in the early Church, Baptism was called “Holy Illumination,” and the baptized were known as “the enlightened.”
Drawing a parallel with the Resurrectional narrative of the journey to Emmaus, he observed that the disciples themselves walked with the Risen Christ without recognizing Him, until their eyes were opened “in the breaking of the bread,” revealing the Eucharist as the place of true recognition of Christ.
“Christ is known through illumination by divine grace,” he said, stressing that spiritual vision is not the fruit of intellect alone, but of a heart opened by God. Citing Saint Gregory Palamas, he affirmed that true illumination is participation in the uncreated Light of God.
Concluding, Metropolitan Cleopas called the faithful to seek the same grace granted to the blind man and the disciples of Emmaus: “spiritual sight,” so that believers may recognize Christ in the Eucharist, in their neighbor, and in daily life, walking always in the light of His Resurrection.
Read below the homily of Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden
Sunday of the Blind Man
St. George Cathedral of Stockholm
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Christ is Risen!
As the Church leads us toward the glorious feast of the Ascension of our Lord, she places before us today the profound Gospel account of the healing of the man born blind. This miracle is not merely the restoration of physical eyesight; it is a revelation of humanity’s spiritual condition and of Christ Himself as the Light of the world.
The man in today’s Gospel had never seen the light of day. From birth, he lived in darkness. Yet the Fathers of the Church teach us that this blindness is also an image of the spiritual blindness that afflicts fallen humanity. A person may possess healthy eyes and remain unable to perceive God, truth, grace, or the meaning of life itself.
For this reason, Christ proclaims: “I am the Light of the world.” He did not come merely to teach morality or philosophy. He came to illumine the human person. He came to open the eyes of the soul.
Saint John Chrysostom explains that when Christ made clay from the dust of the earth and anointed the blind man’s eyes, He revealed His divine creative power. Just as God formed Adam from the dust in the beginning, now the Son of God fashions sight where sight did not exist before. This is more than a healing; it is a new creation.
Then Christ sends the blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam. The Fathers see here a clear image of Holy Baptism. The blind man goes, washes, and returns seeing. Likewise, through the sacramental life of the Church, the human person is enlightened by divine grace. In the ancient Church, Baptism itself was called “Holy Illumination,” and the newly baptized Christian was known as “the enlightened one.”
Today’s Gospel can also be beautifully connected with another powerful event of the Resurrection season: the journey to Emmaus.
Two disciples walk along the road in sorrow and confusion. The Risen Christ Himself draws near and walks beside them. He speaks to them and explains the Scriptures to them, yet the Gospel says that “their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.”
What a mysterious and profound moment this is. Christ is present before them, yet they cannot recognize Him.
And perhaps the same thing happens to us. How often does Christ walk beside us in our daily lives, and yet we fail to perceive Him? How often does God act within our lives while we remain spiritually blind?
The disciples on the road to Emmaus heard Christ’s voice but did not yet recognize Him. In the same way, the man born blind needed divine intervention to receive sight. Both accounts reveal that true vision comes not merely from the senses but from the grace of God.
And when were the eyes of the disciples finally opened? At the breaking of the bread. In the Eucharistic fellowship. In the sacred mystery of Christ’s presence.
Here, the Church reveals a great spiritual truth: Christ is known through illumination by divine grace. We do not truly know Him through intellect alone, nor through study alone, but when the eyes of the heart are opened.
This is why the spiritual life of the Church is a continual journey from darkness into light. Through prayer, repentance, confession, fasting, and participation in the Holy Mysteries, the soul gradually becomes illumined. A person begins to see differently. He sees his neighbor not as an enemy, but as an icon of God. He sees suffering not merely as punishment, but as an opportunity for salvation and transformation. He sees life not only in earthly terms, but in the light of eternity.
Saint Gregory Palamas teaches that illumination is not simply an emotional or psychological experience, but participation in the uncreated Light of God. When the heart is purified, the human person begins mystically to behold the presence of God.
And notice something extraordinary in the Emmaus account: the moment the disciples recognized Christ, “He vanished from their sight.” Why? Because physical sight was no longer necessary. Christ had already revealed Himself within their hearts. They had received spiritual vision.
This is the great miracle of faith: not simply to see with the eyes of the body, but to see with the eyes of the soul.
My beloved brothers and sisters, all of us resemble the man born blind. All of us also resemble the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We often walk beside Christ without recognizing Him. We attend the Divine Liturgy, hear the Gospel, receive the Holy Mysteries, and yet our hearts sometimes remain closed.
Therefore, today the Church calls us to ask Christ for the greatest miracle of all: spiritual sight.
May He open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may recognize Him in the Holy Eucharist, encounter Him in our neighbor, perceive His presence in our daily lives, and walk always in the light of His Resurrection.
And then, together with the healed blind man, we too shall be able to say: “I believe, Lord.” Amen!
