Here’s a simple and fun activity for you to do this weekend as a family as you live Liturgically. Make “mud” brownies! I am always a fan of incorporating food into any feast day, especially for children! In addition to it being obviously yummy, it’s also a great sensory experience to help kids connect the healing element (mud) that Jesus used to heal the blind man!

Story of the Healing of the blind man is in the Children’s Bible Reader (pictured) page 222

Here’s a fun challenge: Read the story of the healing of the blind man in the scriptures (John 9:1-38) beforehand and eat the brownies with your hands! Talk to your kids about how God created and formed us with mud, and make the connection about how Jesus created mud and formed new eyes for the blind mind! It’s sure to be a simple (and fun) lesson your kids won’t easily forget!

Check out this recipe for brownie pudding and make your own delicious mud!

“Mud” Brownies for the Sunday of the Blind Man

INGREDIENTS

1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix (+milk according to package instructions)
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

✨Prepare instant pudding according to package directions
✨Fold in dry cake mix until all of the mix is moistened
✨Then, stir in chocolate chips so they are as evenly distributed through the batter (it will be thick and difficult to stir but do the best you can)
✨Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish
✨Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes

Let cool for 10-20 mins before eating, and enjoy!

Who is the Blind Man?

According to Church history, the blind man name is St Celidonius. St Basil the Great and other fathers draw attention to the uniqueness of this miracle of our Lord’s. They say that it was not just a case of a man whose eyes were not working. They say that St. Celidonius was actually born without eyes!!! In other words Jesus placed the clay upon empty sockets, the place where the eyes ought to have been and after he washed them, he saw perfectly! Isn’t that wild? Also this story makes so much more sense to me after hearing this teaching. Our Lord showed Himself not only to be a healer but as the Creator who had made man out of the dust of the earth. Along with these eyes also came spiritual sight as St. Celidonius gave courageous testimony to his healing in response to the hostile questions about the miracle by those who felt threatened Jesus.

To learn more about the Sunday of the Blind Man, and find reading and activity suggestions, check out this blogpost:

“As Jesus went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is the day, we must do the works of him who sent me. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”