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There is so much that we do see which causes us to doubt and be blinded to the goodness of God in this world. The Pharisees were blinded by their holding their religious traditions too tightly to their eyes; they didn’t want to see anything different, any new revelationally challenging signs. Sin for John is not doubting, but not believing in Jesus as the One Who has been sent to reveal God’s goodness. Believing is a way of seeing, but we can be blinded by what we have to know, and demand to see.

Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Ephesians 5:8-14

J ohn 9:1-41  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. (2) And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (3) Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. (4) We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. (5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (6) As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, (7) saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. (8) The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" (9) Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." (10) They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" (11) He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, `Go to Silo'am and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." (12) They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."

(13) They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. (14) Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. (15) The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." (16) Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. (17) So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

(18) The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, (19) and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" (20) His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; (21) but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." (22) His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. (23) Therefore, his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

(24) So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." (25) He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." (26) They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" (27) He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his  disciples?" (28) And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. (29) We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from."  (30) The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. (31) We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. (32) Never since the world began has it been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. (33) If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." (34) They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

(35) Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" (36) He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" (37) Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." (38) He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshiped him. (39) Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." (40) Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?" (41) Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains.”

Meditation by Larry Gillick, S.J.

In the chapters leading up to the chapter from which we read today in our First Reading, Saul, the king and military leader of the Jews has been unfaithful to his mission and disobedient to God’s orders. Samuel hears from God that there is to be an impeachment of the King. Saul is told of this and begs for a second chance. Samuel has heard from God exactly what “is” is and Saul is no longer “is”.

What we hear is how Samuel hears from God about a Man, Jesse of Bethlehem who has a fine group of well-bred sons. They are all assembled at a victory/thanksgiving sacrifice. Eliab is presented and Samuel eyes him up and down and finds his appearance manly and worthy of being king.

God speaks silently to Samuel about Eliab’s not being the right man for the job. God sees into the heart and Samuel is judging through the eyes only.

Jesse presents seven more sons who are similarly dismissed. Jesse is asked if there are any other sons and he replies that there is one other, the youngest and he is out in the fields tending the sheep.

When the lad arrives, who is of fine appearance as were his brothers, God prompts Samuel to anoint him. His name is David of Bethlehem who will be entrusted to tend the sheep, the people of Israel . The God who has called him will guide him and be faithful to Israel through him.

Jesus has declared Himself to be the “Light of the World”. For John’s readers, day/night light/dark and seeing/not-seeing are favorite themes. For those who are visually impaired, today’s Gospel is definitely not the text to read for comfort or healing. Mark, in 10, 46, presents a more prayerful picture of Jesus’ healing a person who is visually impaired. Instead, today’s long Gospel reading is about believing. 

In the Christian Scriptures, the word “believe” in its various forms appears 238 times, 98 of these occur in John’s Gospel. A good question, but not for this Reflection, might be about why the other three Gospels do not push belief as strongly as John. For John, believing is seeing, believing takes place in the light, in the day. So this whole chapter is somewhat of a summation of the entire Gospel.

The action begins with a miniature prologue. A man who is blind provokes the question from the apostles about the cause of the man’s condition. Did he sin himself, or did the curse of blindness fall upon him because of the sin of his parents? The question reflects the thinking that any physical deformity is a curse because of sin; God punishes when offended.

John concludes the prologue by having Jesus state boldly that it is not sin on somebody’s part, but this is a situation which will manifest the “works of God” through this man.

It is because of sin though and the darkness of our human unfaithfulness, that Jesus has come into the world as the Light. The stage now is set, there will be rising action and a graceful resolution. The blind will see, (believe) and those who see will find themselves blind (unbelievers).

There are several delightful symbols in this little play. “Work” and “light” go together. Jesus as light has come into the darkness of the world to do His thing, which is to present the Father Who sent Him and to do some deeds which will attract attention and a personal response.

Jesus spits on the ground and makes a clay eye-patch for the fellow. Clay is the human reality from which we were biblically made. Jesus sends the clay-bound sight-seeker to a pool of water by the name which means, “sent”. We have a wonderful meeting then between Jesus Who is the “One Sent” and the “clay” to whom He has been sent. Through this act of trust, the man came back, “able to see”.   

A long section of squabbling ensues among neighbors, Jewish leaders and even the man’s parents. Eventually he gets thrown out of the temple which is not an insignificant event. The temple, by the time of John’s writing this Gospel, has been torn down by the Romans as a punishment for the revolt of the Jews. John is presenting Jesus as the new place of God’s revelation. Jesus is the New Covenant who continues God’s covenantal fidelity and history. Upon being expelled, Jesus appears and begins the final act of enlightenment.

“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This is the real unblinding and central meaning of the whole reading. Here is where we join the play’s action. The man sees Jesus, because Jesus has done some “work”. Have we been un-somethinged, re-visioned, by Jesus? Like the ever-present Pharisees we might be a bit or totally blinded by what we do physically see. There is so much that we do see which causes us to doubt and be blinded to the goodness of God in this world. The Pharisees were blinded by their holding their religious traditions too tightly to their eyes; they didn’t want to see anything different, any new revelationally challenging signs. Sin for John is not doubting, but not believing in Jesus as the One Who has been sent to reveal God’s goodness.   

I suspect it would be more interesting to write about some personal experiences of seeing or not. Miracles are exciting about which to hear. Those are what we call, “Feel-Good” stories. Believing is not always a “feel-good” experience. When walking in the dark of life, bumping into the doorposts of disappointment, tripping over the unexplainable, walking down the paths of bad choices, all can cause us to curse the darkness of our human understanding. People who are visually impaired often have limited choices so they learn to receive what they are offered. This is belief then, to receive what God is offering and see the presence of Jesus when we cannot see causes or reasons. Believing is a way of seeing, but we can be blinded by what we have to know, and demand to see.

Brothers and sisters, you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Eph. 5, 8

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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