Email Guidelines Dara's Homilies Fourth Sunday of Lent (3rd April)
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1 Samuel 16:6-7 .10-13; Eph 5:8-14 ; Jn 9:1-41
MEDITATION:
This Sunday is about the cure of a blind man and the resistance of the 'educated' Pharisees to believe in Jesus. The first reading is about the surprising choice of young David as God's 'anointed'. The second is praising the fact that Christ would enlighten us, if only we would accept Him. The way the man went to wash in the pool symbolizes the Baptisms celebrated (and renewed) at Easter.
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I think that the underlying call is to be humble and accept that for all the education that the world can give, it can't give what only Christ can give, and it's worthwhile therefore to open our eyes of faith. And we begin mass saying "I confess...". This fourth Sunday of Lent is called 'laetare' (Mercy) Sunday.
The Love of Christ illuminates well... from a cross! I'm glad to have learnt about medicine, science, art etc. but that was only a prologue. Christ is 'the light of the world'. But we've got to be humble. 'Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind."' (Jn 9:39 ). The unfortunate Pharisees in the Gospel today 'see' and are well-educated, but their pride has blinded them!
Lent is a time to humbly recognize our sin and short-sightedness and try to open our minds anew to the light of Christ. The world applauds the big and strong while Samuel annoints Jesse's youngest in the first reading -and he turns out to be king David! He had been shepherding sheep, which is an Old-Testament prophecy of our 'Good Shepard' (Christ). We all come 'from clay', so let's ask Christ to spit on our simple world of clay and wipe our eyes! (Jn 9:6 ). We're off then to 'wash' in the Pool of Siloam. Why do we do these pious things like celebrating Sunday mass and Easter and delving more and more into Christian reading and into prayer? Because Christ sends us to the pool! And we confess our sins to begin again with a new heart. 'Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart' (1 Sam 16: 9b).
Jesus says that the man's blindness was 'so that the works of God might be made visible through him' (Jn 9:3 ), and I don't consider my MS to be a fruitless disaster. Our Christian path sometimes involves challenges that we would like to avoid, but the benefits will come eventually. The fact that Jesus mixed clay with his saliva and then smeared it on the man's eyes sounds ugly, but it led to the cure!
Do you want to become his disciple too? (John 9:27 ). I do! And I do it with the awareness that there's still a lot for me to learn from Christ. The wise man is the one who appreciates that he still has a lot to learn. The 'educated' Pharisees refuse to believe in Jesus, and on Good Friday we'll see the ugly effect of that. And we'll remember that in some way, we've all participated in it. Let's wash up in the pool of 'the sent' (siloam)! I'm coming home Lord!
Dara.
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