Fourth Sunday of Lent (A)

1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Eph 5:8-14
Jn 9:1-41 or Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

Conversion to Christ is a process. The blind man in today's Gospel reading exemplifies this journey into faith. Notice that at first he did not run to Jesus. Jesus came to him. The man responded by waiting to see what would happen and then by obeying Jesus.

Conversion begins when Jesus seeks us out and we make ourselves available to his touch. He then opens our eyes to the truth, but we don't immediately understand.

When the man's neighbors asked about his cure, he did not yet understand who Jesus was; he thought of him as just a man. Then, under the pressure of listening to the Pharisees argue about who Jesus was, he had to give it more thought. He concluded that Jesus must be a prophet, which for the Jews was a highly esteemed, holy vocation.

Next, as the Pharisees treated him more roughly and raised the possibility of expelling him from the synagogue if he claimed that Jesus was the Christ, he had to wonder if what they feared might be true. Their reasons for hating Jesus became the eye-openers that cured his spiritual blindness.

Finally, Jesus sought him out again, this time to minister to him in response to the mistreatment he had suffered from the Pharisees. In this act of caring, the man could see who Jesus really was. Conversion — the purification of our spiritual vision — takes place in the fire of our sufferings as we recognize the love and concern that God has for us.

Reflect & Discuss:

1. In the first reading, God makes it clear that he sees what we cannot see when we're focused on external evidence. Think of a time when you looked deeper or beyond the obvious. How did that change you?

2. In Ephesians 5, we read that we have become light in the Lord. Name some of the good fruits that come from the ability to see what Jesus is doing in your life.

3. The Gospel reading illustrates that those who think they can see the truth very often are blind, and those who acknowledge their blindness become able to see clearly. Why does this happen? Has it happened to you?

Question for the Journey:

Think of an area of your life where there is confusion from a lack of understanding. Perhaps you're having a hard time seeing the good in someone. Maybe you're worried about the future. What will you do this week that will help you see it from God's perspective?

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Three great stories in the Gospel of John have, for centuries, served as Scriptural instructions for those preparing for Baptism. Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman, and this is the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Last week we heard the story of the Samaritan woman; next week that of Lazarus. Today, the "man born blind" takes center stage. In Catholic parishes today, candidates for Baptism stand before us, perhaps picturing themselves as the man in the story.

For the early Church, "illumination" was a theme of Baptism. Saint Augustine suggested that the man born blind stood for the whole human race, needing to see the light of Christ. The late Scripture scholar Father Raymond Brown notes that the man undergoes testing or questioning by various individuals after he is "enlightened." His witness develops until he finally encounters Jesus a second time and professes his faith. It's symbolic of how our faith grows through choices we make in life.

Father Brown also notes how those around the man are affected by his initial encounter with Jesus. Some come to faith; others are hardened in their rejection of Jesus. No one remains indifferent, it seems.

How do we witness to Jesus? Can people detect the light of Christ shining in us? If not, perhaps part of our Lenten activity might involve a self-scrutiny, and some steps toward enlightenment.

Scripture:

•“…Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

•Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side (Psalm 23:4)

•“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5:14b)

•He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” (John 9:36,7)

Reflection:

•Where do you find Jesus? What are you doing this Lent to find Jesus?

•Lent calls for prayer, fasting and giving alms (sacrificing). How does this bring you closer to Jesus?

•Through your Lenten activities have you changed your routine and have you found Jesus in any ways not possible before?

•How does the blind man find Jesus?

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. (St. Francis of Assisi)