REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

4^th Sunday of Lent A (3 April 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

“Walk in the light”

This week we went to visit our community in Cebu because a religious brother was celebrating his perpetual vows. It was a joyful moment to see how the Lord has been faithful to hi over the years and inspiring to see also our brother committing himself to follow Christ in poverty, chastity and obedience. During the remainder of the week I also celebrated a baptism of a little child. After baptizing the child with water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit comes the so called explanatory rites – anointing with chrism, clothing with white garment and finally the lighting of the candles. The candles are lit from the Easter candle which burns throughout the celebration. The priest says these words “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. She is to walk always as a child of the light. May she keep the flame of faith alive in her heart. When the Lord comes, may she go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”

The symbol of light features prominently in today’s readings. In the second reading from St Paul we hear “Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph 5, 8-14). In baptism we receive the light of Christ, and we need his light to help us to grow as Christians. Think of a flower. It needs light to blossom. How can we receive light? I remember the psalmist when he says “your Word is a light unto my path and a lamp for my feet.” In the middle of darkness of personal confusion and perplexity it is comforting and encouraging to listen to the words of Jesus that fill us with light and strength. It helped me also to go on a Way of the Cross when I was visiting Cebu. It was at night and the stations of the cross are set on a hillside so the terrain is undulating and uneven in places. It was only possible to walk because of the torches, lanterns and candles we brought with us. It made me think of the exhortations of Jesus in the Gospel of John “The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you” (John 12:35). Light is an important theme in John’s gospel and especially in the account of Jesus healing the blind man (John 9, 1-41).

Jesus and his disciples are walking along and see a man blind from birth. The disciples wonder if this is a punishment for sin from God. Jesus teaches them that it is not the cause of sin, but rather a chance for God’s works to be shown through the man. Jesus spits on the ground, making mud with his saliva and puts it on the man’s eyes, telling him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which means sent). It is interesting that Jesus does not cure the man in one instant but also expects the collaboration of the blind man. The blind man does his part – he goes and washes and comes back able to see. We too are called to collaborate with God in his works. In Lent, God gives us three remedies – prayer, fasting and almsgiving and if we pursue these it will lead to inner healing. So the first lesson from the Gospel today is that God wants our participation in his redemptive work.

It is interesting that the story of the blind man's healing takes exactly two verses; the controversy surrounding the cure, 39 verses! This speaks volumes to us. If you want to be faithful to the Lord, expect some resistance. The man once blind sticks to his experience of faith. He is questioned and interrogated yet he holds firm – he put clay on my eyes and now I can see. The Pharisees attack him in many ways but he remains firm. They challenge the man saying that Jesus could not be from God because he performed this miracle on a Sabbath. They appeal to established religious convictions but the man declares that Jesus is a prophet. Like the Pharisees, am I fixed in my ideas about other people and blind to their goodness? Do I ask the Lord to enlighten the areas of darkness within me? Do I refuse to look at those areas of darkness within me?

The Pharisees don’t believe he was born blind so they question his parents. The parents are afraid and tell them to question their son themselves. Why were they afraid? Because if they acknowledged him as the Christ, they would be expelled from the synagogue. Sometimes it happens to us – we do not speak the truth in community because we are afraid of the other – they may ostracize us from the community, ex-communicate us by not talking to us! And sometimes we ex-communicate others too when we deem them not worthy! Is there someone you have excommunicated?

The blind man is so courageous. He challenges the Pharisees telling them that if Jesus was a sinner he would not have been able to cure him. So what happens? The Pharisees kick him out of the synagogue! But Jesus finds him immediately and reassures him that When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. Maybe the man once blind worshipped him by singing that line from Amazing Grace – “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”

What lessons can we take home from the readings today? Walk while we have the light – to put into practice what the Lord is telling us. Not to change track when opposition comes! St Ignatius reminds us not to change plans in moments of desolation. Even when the Pharisees have the logic and reason it is important to turn to Jesus. Also the story today teaches us not to be like the Pharisees – blinded by pride and jealousy to the good works of God in the life of others.

Let us be joyful this day, and ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the light of his presence. Like the prayer for sight of Origen, an early Christian African scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church “May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes, as he did those of the blind. Then we shall begin to see in visible things those which are invisible.” And may we walk while we have the light. Amen.