1. Restore me (6) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened The Blind manSunday 2015

2. Restore me  “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the Lord my God. Jer 31:18

3. Restore me  Restore me (1) Set my Mind on Things Above  Restore me (2) Your Word I have hidden in my Heart  Restore me (3) Those who are Christ’s  Restore me (4) He is not the Author of Confusion  Restore me (5) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he  Restore me (6) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened

4. Restore me (6)  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Eph 1:18

5. And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 kings 6:17

6. Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 2 kings 6:18

7. The One Thing  He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” Jn 9:25

8. The Nous is opened  37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”  38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. Jn 9:37,38

9. St Augustine On the Gospel of St John, tractate, 44:15  With his face washed and his conscience purified, the man finally recognized the Lord. He knew Him not only as the Son of Man, according to his earlier knowledge, but as the Son of God who had taken on our body. So he said, “Lord, I believe”

10. Where you are  The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. Duet 28:28  39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Jn 9:39

11. Consequences  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:21

12. St. John Cassian  Man falling in pride, even though he may be physically pure, God would forsake him, so that when he falls into carnal lusts, that are visible before his own eyes, he would then realize the hidden pride that he cannot see.

13. This week's spiritual exercise ① Search your heart, Are following a culture, a mental Knowledge? ② To feel that you know everything? ③ Dedicate this week to fast and pray the inner enlightenment (Nous) ④ sit with your father of confession or your spiritual mentor to take serious steps towards enlightenment