But in this case the context is perfectly in keeping, and to a clear and unprejudiced eye it presents no difficulty.

The Clementine writer is speaking of the origin of physical infirmities, and he says that these are frequently due, not to moral error, but to mere ignorance on the part of parents.

As an instance of this he gives the case of the man who was born blind, of whom our Lord expressly said that neither he nor his parents had sinned--morally or in such a way as to deserve punishment.

On the contrary they had erred simply through ignorance, and the object of the miracle was to make a display of the Divine mercy removing the consequences of such error.

'And in reality,' he proceeds, 'things of this kind are the result of ignorance.