Excuses. Excuses. Jesus asked the blind man, “Do you want to be well?” He never answered the question. Instead he gave all of the excuses justifying why he wasn’t well. I wonder if something similar happens in our own spiritual life. Jesus asks of us: Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be a saint? We have lots of our excuses why we’re not saints, all those lingering faults and failings that we can’t quite get rid of. My friend Phil wrote of book suggesting that everyone needs a 12-step spirituality since we’re addicted to selfishness. The first steps require that we admit we cling to ourselves, then accept that God can heal our self-preoccupation if we are open to it.
