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Homily for Fourth Sunday of Lent

READ: (1 Sam 16: 1, 6-7, 10-13; Eph 5: 8-14; Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38)

REFLECT: A leap from darkness to light of faith in Jesus...

Dear friends we are in the fourth Sunday of Lent. The liturgy of the day invites each one of us make a leap from darkness to light. Darkness is the absence of light in a place. Symbolically darkness could mean as well death, destruction, wickedness and evil in a person. The light of the world, Jesus shines for all to be drawn closer; the light drives away the darkness within us and the things that entangle us to go astray from God, the true light. So based on the readings of the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflections as to how we make a leap from darkness to the Light of Christ;

1.     A true heart that matters:

We all of us know that heart is a vital organ.  It is the seat of emotions where affection and love are centered around. The shape of the heart does not matter, but the function of it matters for existence and the genuine expression of heart matters for a good and long-lasting relationships. God does not weigh our standards of living as we do. Because we scale the standard of living or measure someone’s goodness based on the perception of benefit, use value and profit that might obtain. It is biased and partial.

God weighs our deeds based on the heart that’s just and true. Something similar we find in the the first reading from the book of Samuel that presents to us the choice of David to be anointed as king. Samuel looks at the outward physical stature and structure of persons to be appointed and anointed as king but the Lord rejects seven of Jesse’s sons and chooses David, the youngest in the family. The first reading very clearly mentions, “For the Lord does not see as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Yes, what matters to us is an outward appearance or stature that appears so pleasant to senses. We at times promote people on the basis of appearance, stature, power. But God does not look on the outward appearance but the inward dispositions of heart.

Many a times, we are deceived by senses. It is like “all that glitters is not gold.” Being deceived by our senses which appear to be pleasant but not in reality, we make rash judgments, unnecessary remarks or comments, hurt and hate others, promote people who do not have a good will or genuine heart. It only causes injustice, making the good to suffer, failing to give an opportunity to the one who could do well. I am sure this is one of the dark spots of life that each one of us faces today. We might have deceived others or might have been victims to such acts. But today it is a reminder for all of us not to be deceived by our sense perception, which can be wrong and can lead us to do and become evil. Therefore what is more important is a good heart.

It does not matter if one is blind or lame, deaf or dumb, but if one is good at heart, he or she could capture many as friends and they can be brought before God. The one who has good heart possess God, God takes control of him/her and his/her actions. We know King David, who was chosen by God, sinned against God and ended up his life in misery miserably, because his heart wavered and wandered away from God. Yes, the one whose heart is astray from God is prone to evil and evil inclinations. Let us remind ourselves that God dwells in heart free from sin and wickedness; God does not consider our stature, wisdom, qualifications, courage for his work but a heart that is tender, pure, true and free from sin.

2.     A walk towards light:

There is a Chinese quote; “If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.” Yes, the light in us lights up our ways and others too. We can be certain that all of us Christians have the light of Christ within us, which has the power to transform oneself, others and the world.

We all of us go through tough times and walk through rough paths in life. But the choice is given to each one to walk towards the light or to remain in the dark cursing the dark shadows of life. However, the choice makes a difference, depending upon the choices that we make. Yes, in the second reading from the letter to Ephesians St. Paul’s invites us to walk as children of light, giving up remaining in darkness that leads us away from God’s light. He also tells us in what way we shall become children of light. It is by pleasing God and not taking part in unfruitful works of darkness, rising from the dead or lifeless things that we rely on and move towards the light of Christ.

Further, we find in Eph 5: 1-7 where St. Paul points out how the children of light would behave, by imitating God and imitating Christ by way of love, by being holy and not associating with people who deceive by foolish words and empty arguments.

True to this, Pope Francis reflecting on St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians about walking as children of light shares that men and women are recognizable by their words. And by inviting Christians to behave as children of light, and not as children of darkness, St Paul gives a catechesis on the word. Pope Francis pointed out what are words used by the children of darkness and the children of light. The children of darkness have the following words: hypocritical words; empty words without any substance as they pick up from here and there to fit with everyone; vulgar, trivial, or worldly words and dirty and obscene words. Pope Francis too points out who are the children of light; they imitate God, walk in love, walk in goodness and walk in meekness.

Most of us are used to living in darkness, accustomed to it and have become slaves to darkness of life. The words that we utter or use in our daily conversations; the way we react and respond to people with words downplaying one’s emotions and enthusiasm are examples to it. The only way we can avoid being children of darkness is by imitating Christ and walking the path of love, goodness and meekness as shown by Chris tin his life. For such an act we need to realize the light of Christ within us.  

That’s what St. Paul does and reminds the community at Ephesus of their former life and the present life in Eph 5:8-9 that they were once darkness but now they have become light as they have received light of Christ. So they are now called to behave as children of light by the fruits of light i.e., kindness, justice and truth. Yes, let us remind ourselves of the light of Christ in us. When we have Jesus the light within us, we will have the power and grace to light up our ways and others too. What make us lose the light of Christ in us are our unkind, unjust and untrue words and deeds. Let us pray that we imitate Christ and walk towards his light by kind, just and true words and deeds in life.

3.     A Light of faith that clears vision:

We are quite familiar with the function of light that it dispels darkness and enables us to see the vision or image clearly. The difficulty of blind persons is that they can never see anything. For them everything is dark as usual. The only light that is required for a blind person is sight to see. We all of us know the difficulties of blind persons. They need someone’s help to go; if no one helps they find it hard to walk or get what they need or want; their steps are not steady; they stumble and fall.

We have one such story in today’s Gospel reading of a blind man from birth. At first  Jesus clarifies the disciples that his blindness is not due to his personal or parental sin rather for the purpose God’s power being revealed through him to others. The healing to a man born blind, gives him the light of sight, the light of sight in return gives him a light of faith in Jesus, so deep and strong. There is a gradual progression of faith in the healing of a blind man in Jesus as the Son of God.

First of all the man believed that Jesus gave the blind man sight. That’s why when the Pharisees asked the blind man who you claim to be the one healed you, he said about Jesus, “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Secondly, when Jesus asked the blind man “do you believe in the son of man,” although the man initially asks him who is he sir so that I believe in him, yet the moment Jesus reveals himself that he is Son of God, the man accepts, believes Jesus as the Son of God and worships Jesus.

This is something similar we find in the Samaritan woman at the well in Jn 4, where she also perceives Jesus as a prophet at first and then believes Jesus as the messiah. So gradually like the Samaritan woman who received an insight of faith in Jesus so also blind man who received his sight and makes his profession of faith steady and strong. However, we observe in this episode that there is divided opinion among the Jewish people about the healing. Some of them are open to the light of faith and others still prefer to remain in their own light very specially the Pharisees who did not believe in Jesus and his healing.

The Pharisees do not believe Jesus as the Son of God because they themselves express, “this man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath and how can this man who is sinner do such signs.” Moreover, they try with a suspicion to confirm the healing from the man who received his sight, above all his parents, more over they fail to accept Jesus as a man of God as claimed by the healed man saying, “You were born in utter sin, do you teach us?” Yes, our suspicion and doubt are the stumbling blocks to faith in God or Jesus. More than the physical blindness of blind man, who believed in Jesus, the physically well-sounded or clear-sighted Pharisees become blind to see the real miracle that takes place just under the nose.

For many of us faith is an illusion that is seemingly real and  faith is a cover up of reality, limited to material things, that which is seen, touched, counted or measured but faith calls us to go beyond the material reality or world and understand mysteries that within. Faith cannot be perceived with ordinary lens, we need an extra-ordinary lens that makes faith real, deep and strong in God. Such faith has the ability to know and grasp the light of Christ. Such faith enables us to see both what is in others reach or in oneself.

That’s what the blind man sees here he perceives and believes what is within his reach that is his recovery of sight by Jesus and at the same time he perceives that the Pharisees don’t believe in the healing done by Jesus. Jesus who reveals himself as the light of the world in Jn 8:12, is repeated in today’s Gospel Jn 9: 5 gives the born blind man the light to obtain sight. But the sight gives him a new insight. He does not only see the ordinary bright light of the day or the rest of the things that appear, but sees the extra-ordinary light, Jesus. He pronounces to the Pharisees Jesus’ name, considers Jesus as a man of God, calls Jesus as Lord, believes and worships Jesus.

The physical blindness of the man born blind did not hinder him to believe in Jesus but the Pharisees, who are free from physical blindness, were blinded by their pride, arrogance and disbelief to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. Today all of us may not have physical blindness but have spiritual blindness the pride, arrogance, suspicion and doubt that blind us to see the work of God and believe in Jesus. But let us remember to the one who has faith no weakness or impairment can be a hurdle to faith in God, because faith is a belief in God about the unknown and unplanned that God has in store for us. So for a light of faith we need to abandon false lights within us.

Pope Francis very meaningfully shares with us the false lights that we need to abandon. The first false light he speaks of is the cold and foolish light of prejudice against others, because the prejudice distorts reality and loads us with aversion towards those who we judge without mercy and condemn without cause. When we talk of others, we don’t walk in the light, but walk in the shadows. Another false light which is so seductive and unclear is self-interest: if we evaluate people and things based on the criterion of how they are useful to, our pleasure, our prestige, we make the truth in relationships and situations. If we walk this path of searching only personal interests, we walk in the shadow.”

Yes, I am sure that’s what the blind man does. He abandons the false light, the acts of Pharisees and their prejudices against Jesus and holds on to Jesus the true light. The blind man was not merely satisfied of the sight he received and walked away ignoring Jesus but rather he gives up his self-interest, does not take own credit of the sight received, accepts, believes and worships Jesus. Today, if we want to walk toward Jesus the true light of the world, we need to give up false lights, the prejudices against others which creates hate and division; the self-interest, which takes delight in the self-made projects, purpose, plans and ambitions. May Jesus the light of the world, give us the light of faith to have a clear vision of life that we live.

RESPOND:

Do we weigh others deeds based on the genuine heart?

Do we walk towards the light of Christ or choose to remain in dark shadows of life?

Do we make efforts to be drawn to the light of Christ to have clear vision in life?

Let us weigh others deeds by genuine hearts, walk towards the light of Christ the clears our vision and makes us cast away all false lights that blurs our vision. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968