Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A

1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 THEME OF THE READINGSWhile it is difficult to find one common theme, the Readings converge on a number of points. In the First Book of Samuel the prophet is called to search for a new king in place of Saul. The Reading emphasizes the Lord´s surprising choice: a farm boy, the youngest of Jesse´s sons. David will become Israel´s most famous king. The prophet Samuel is reminded that the Lord´s vision goes deeper than outward appearances. St. John´s Gospel presents a sad account of a healing miracle. Instead of rejoicing over the miraculous cure of a man born blind, the religious leaders are filled with hostility and the stubborn refusal to accept that good has been done. Their attitude is all the more sad because the evidence is so clear. The prophet Isaiah had declared the curing of the blind as a sign of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5). The poor beggar is thrown out of the religious community. Jesus looks for him and reveals his identity. The man sees and believes. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for presuming to know and to see. It is this presumption that blinds them. St. Paul urges the Christians at Ephesus to live lives that reflect the light of Christ they have received. They are no longer blinded by the darkness of ignorance. It is the light of Christ that makes them see the way of “uprightness, goodness and truth.” (v.9)In Psalm 22 the psalmist speaks of the Lord as his shepherd and protector. Even in times of difficulty and in the face of hostility and persecution the Lord´s protection will never fail. DOCTRINAL MESSAGEOpenness of spirit: Both Old and New Testament passages are examples of interior disposition towards God. The prophet Samuel understands that the Lord chooses kings differently. It is revealed to him that the Lord´s vision is more penetrating and profound, and is not swayed by mere external appearance. Samuel accepts this wisdom. The Gospel provides the opposite example: refusal to recognize a sign of God´s love. It is all the more pathetic because it is the refusal to accept visible evidence. What is of fundamental importance is the basic openness and honesty to see things as they are. The human spirit is susceptible to other interests that produce envy, jealousy, slander, hypocrisy and lies. It is those who have no self-interest and who are able to admit their own faults, such as publicans and tax-collectors, who are open to God´s truth. Realizing our sins and our needs is a necessary condition for openness to faith.Catechism references: paragraph 1853 refers to the source of sin in the human heart, as it is also the source of charity; paragraphs 2538-2540 speak of the sin of envy; paragraph 2559 refers to the necessity of a humble and contrite heart. Illness and suffering: Jesus corrects a common misunderstanding of his disciples about human suffering and physical sickness. They are not signs of God´s judgment. While sickness and death have their origin in the reality of original sin, their immediate causes are many. God has not eliminated illness, suffering, or death; he seems to offer their meaning and purpose. God is particularly drawn to human suffering and wants Christians to be drawn in the same way to an active and effective aid. Jesus´ example towards the man born blind is an example; much unnecessary suffering exists in the world. Catechism references: paragraph 164 refers to the experience of suffering; paragraphs 1500-1513 deal with illness in human life and the sick person before God; paragraph 1521 speaks of the origin of suffering in original sin and its Christian purpose. PASTORAL APPLICATIONSWe are easily scandalized by examples of bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination. The outlawing of previously accepted forms of racial discrimination has been one of the moral advances of the latter part of this last century. At the same time, bias is never very far from human conduct, since our judgments and actions are caught up in personal interests that we protect at any cost, even at the cost of truth. Basic, personal honesty and openness are not common qualities; they are essential for authentic Christian living. It is important to examine our criteria of judgment and to recognize the limitations and errors (sometimes willful ones) of our knowledge and judgment. Above all, we need to ask ourselves if our decisions are free of self-interest. It is because we want or depend on something or someone too much that we see only what we want to see and are capable of closing our eyes, with apparent ease, to even the most obvious realities. Our knowledge depends, in part, on our wanting: “to be in us, we must will that they be for us what they are in themselves.” (Maurice Blondel) The difficult thing about prejudice is that we do not recognize it in ourselves. We become accustomed to a deliberately accepted blindness of spirit that refuses to accept certain situations, persons, or ideas. Far from loving our enemies, we no longer even see them. A lot of personal honesty is required. We need to reexamine our criteria and our fundamental motivations. We need to recognize hardness of heart, bitterness, and indifference. We need to admit surges of envy and jealousy and recognize their roots. We need to admit our self-seeking and insecurities that lead us to self-assertion at the expense of others. In society much prejudice exists. The result is a basic denial of rights, the exploitation or abandonment of groups of persons such as the unborn, the sick, immigrants, the old. As Christians we have a duty to show the blindness of these injustices and to act effectively in the name of justice, a justice always and only moved by love for all. Ends