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6 The Blind Man

In fact, Mang Peping adds, the main problem with good people who want to help us is that they don’t ask us anything. They think they know the precise nature of our problems. And that really is the big tragedy: they think they know; but they do not know that they do not know. And this is so mainly because they do not ask. They would be wiser than Christ who asked even the blind man before he did anything for him.

Do you remember that story in the Bible, Mang Peping explains, when Christ was on the road accompanied by so many followers? Suddenly, a blind man, sensing the presence of someone important, started shouting: "Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me.”

In all probability, Peter or one of the disciples may have told this blind man to shut up. Perhaps they thought he was unduly disturbing the hectic schedule of Christ. But Christ set his attention on the poor man and asked him, "What do you want?”

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The blind man answered, “Lord, that I may see.” Then Christ gave him his sight.

The question, however, Mang Peping now emphasizes, is: Why did Christ have to ask? Wasn’t He God, the all-knowing? Did He not know that the desire of the blind man is to see? Surely, even the dumbest of His disciples suspected as much. But Christ still asked. Is not asking a sign of ignorance?

It would seem that Christ asked the blind man because He respects the dignity of people, including the poorest of the poor. Prior to giving relief, He wants to recognize dignity. He gives only in response to your asking.

That’s right, Kuya Fabian interposes, did Christ not say elsewhere: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened?” Some of us used to say that we have, indeed, asked for a long time now, but, as yet, we have not received. We have also been knocking for as long and yet the door has not opened. To that I can only remark that we have not knocked hard enough. We must knock so hard against landlordism, against usury, without let-up until we knock them out.

We have not asked, we have not demanded loud enough because our individual voices have been scattered here and there. Now we must gather them together, we must organize until our common voice will be so loud that it will be invincible.