Metr. Nathanael Reflects on Seeing With Spiritual Eyes
Metr. Nathanael connected the healing of spiritual sight in the Gospel with recognizing human dignity during his visit to Cook County Jail.
CHICAGO — His Eminence Metr. Nathanael offered reflections on the Sunday of the Blind Man, linking the Gospel reading to both the Church’s movement from Pascha toward Pentecost and a recent pastoral visit to Cook County Jail.
He emphasized that the Resurrection is not only a commemorated event but a transformation in how believers see the world and other people. Reflecting on John 9:1–38, he contrasted the disciples’ tendency to interpret the man born blind through categories of sin and blame with Christ’s response, which reveals the man as a beloved child of God rather than a problem to be explained.
The Metropolitan also described a visit to Cook County Jail, where he prayed with incarcerated men during a pastoral gathering. He noted the diversity of those present and reflected on the human dignity he encountered beyond labels such as “criminal” or “prisoner,” stressing that each person remains a child of God regardless of circumstance.
Drawing on Acts 16:16–34, he pointed to Saints Paul and Silas in prison as an example of spiritual freedom amid confinement, highlighting their compassion toward the jailer who feared for his life. He concluded that Christian vision is formed by the Holy Spirit to see every person with mercy, affirming that true clarity comes when others are seen as Christ sees them.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Metr. Nathanael met Pope Leo XIV in a Vatican audience.
