True disabilities are failures of the heart, not body

By Marlo Queyquep
Correspondent

Rather than looking at someone else’s physical or mental handicaps as a weakness, people should search within themselves for their own blindness or disabilities that keep them from faithfully following Jesus.

An emphasis on disabilities of the heart and spirit, rather than the body and mind, highlighted Father Douglas J. Haefner’s homily during the annual Disabilities Awareness Mass, held Oct. 26 in St. Matthias Parish, Somerset. The Liturgy was sponsored by the diocesan Commission for Ministry with Persons with Disabilities in observance of Disabilities Awareness Month.

Members of the diocese who live with disabilities were able to participate more fully in the Mass, with the assistance of sign language interpreter Jean Rasimowicz and CART (Computer Assisted Transcription in Real Time) reporter Colleen Ann Platt.

Father Haefner, who serves as pastor in St. Matthias Parish, urged the rest of the congregation to show gratitude for the blessings of good health, reminding them not to take for granted the fact that they can see, speak, walk without assistance, feed and bathe themselves.

He noted that many individuals are inconsiderate and impatient with people with disabilities, something that he has been guilty of in his own life.

"I’ve always taken for granted the gift of sight," Father Haefner said. "Over the past few years my dad has lost most of his vision due to macular degeneration . . . In the last year, due to severe arthritis and neuropathy, he lives with a walker and a wheelchair.

"My dad lives with a number of other illnesses and recently he needed a pacemaker to regulate his heart. You’d never know my dad has a weak heart because he is one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever met. But I haven’t always been the most sensitive person when I’m with him, especially with his vision."

Father Haefner recalled buying his father a book about fishing for Christmas a few years ago. "Very politely, [my father] asked me what he was supposed to do with it," he said. "It never dawned on me. These things happen all the time to people who live with disabilities. If we’re honest, blindness doesn’t just have to do with eyesight."

The challenge, he continued, is freeing ourselves from what obstructs the way God intended for us to love.

"The Lord intended for us to see with his eyes, not our own," Father Haefner remarked. "The Lord intended for us to feel and love with his heart, not our own. The Lord intended for us to speak with his words, not our own."

To further open the worshipers’ eyes, Father Haefner ended in prayer:

"Some of us are blind to our own weaknesses and failures, choosing instead to focus on the weakness of others . . . Lord, I want to see!

"Some of us are blind to our many blessings and too ready to complain when these are judged to be lacking or insufficient . . . Lord, that I may see!

"Others among us are so blinded by unbridled desires for pleasure, comfort, and satisfaction that we fail to notice and attend the needs of others . . . Lord, I want to see!

"Some of us turn a blind eye to the poor, overlooking their plight while excusing ourselves of our responsibility for their well-being . . . Lord, that I may see!

"Certain eyes are closed by prejudices, failing to respect and recognize those of other races, genders, ethnicities, living with disabilities, social status . . . Lord, I want to see!

"Some are blinded by ambition that discards the rights of others and belittles their achievements . . . Lord, that I may see!

"Some of us are blinded by our own self-importance . . . Lord, that I may see!"