A Homily - The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)

A Homily - The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)

 

First Reading – 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©

Second Reading – Ephesians 5:8-14 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 8:12

The Gospel According to John 9:1 – 41 ©

 

(NJB)

 

The readings for today begin with a proper myth; though it should be noted that a religion purporting to have been founded by the Spirit of Truth cannot be rooted in myth, the meaning of which will by necessity change time, and which when concretized into a form of fundamentalism encourages the reader to recast what had been intended as allegory into literalism.

When this happens it becomes too easy for the reader to overlook the wisdom predicated in following statement from the reading: “God does not look at the man but at the heart,” and focus on the inconsequential: “The spirit of God seized David and remained with him thereafter.”

Be mindful!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a respecter of persons. There was nothing at all special about David, God is not a kingmaker and God does not intervene in the course of human events.

 Everything has its existence within God, every living being, each and every one of us, without God not one of us would be. God brings all of us into life, seizing us from the virtual-nothingness of mere potentiality, carried us into the light of actuality, and from the first moment of our being God is with us, as God is with everyone.

 David was not special, no more than you or I.

 Listen to the psalmist; God is the shepherd of us all. If we walk in the way of God, we will be shepherd to our sisters and brothers, our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters.

 Know this, our time in this world is brief, and when it ends it is not the end of all things. If we are hungry, we are hungry only for a short time. If we thirst, it is but for a moment. In times of scarcity we must show our generosity, giving to those in need, trusting in God’s providence and finding our peace. It is not only because God loves you that God guides you; God blesses and guides us so that we may in turn may be a guide and blessing to others.

 Remember.

 The power of death and sin are temporary, only the divine endures forever. The divine spirit dwells within us, within each of us. Through the atonement, we also endure forever.

 If God has set a table before you, share it with the world; turn your adversaries into friends.

 Consider these words from the apostle; reflect on their meaning:

 What is exposed in the light will become light!

 The Gospel promises a time when their will be no darkness, when light will cover everything, and everything will be transformed by the light – into  light.

 We have a choice to make: we can wait for grace to break into our lives, or we can give up our shameful ways, our greed and jealousy, our miserliness and hatreds. We came give them up and walk into the light on our own.

 Be mindful!

 We are all walking in the way; the way does not exclude anyone. We are all moving inexorably toward God, the divine source of all being.

 Consider the Gospel reading for today!

 The intrigue presented here casts a pall over the best parts of the reading itself. Such is foibles of all human endeavors…handle it with care.

 When the good news is interwoven with internecine conflicts, legalisms and partisanship, its brightness is diminished; the way becomes lost in the fog.

 We do best when keep the preaching of Jesus focused on core principles and simple precepts.

 The way is light, the life of Jesus exemplifies this, he was anointed because of the quality of the life he lived. Christ is a light in the world.

 Follow it!

 Along the lighted way the blind will see, even those who have lived in perpetual darkness will see…we will all see…clearly.

 Believe it!

 The Gospel is hope; any reading that detracts from this hope, does not originate in the actual teaching of Jesus, but are in fact the interpolations of lesser men.

Discern them and reject them.

  

First Reading – 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 ©

David is Anointed by Samuel

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands there before him,’ but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him: God does not see as man sees: man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;

  there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

  where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

  to revive my drooping spirit.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me along the right path;

  he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

  no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

  with these you give me comfort.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

You have prepared a banquet for me

  in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

  my cup is overflowing.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

  all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

  for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

 

Second Reading – Ephesians 5:8-14 ©

Anything Exposed by the Light Will Turn into Light

You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:

Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 8:12

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

 

The Gospel According to John – John 9:1 - 41 ©

The Blind Man Went Off and Washed Himself, and Came Away with His Sight Restored

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’ ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

‘As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.’

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.

  They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

  So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.

  Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.

  Jesus said: ‘It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.’

Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’

Jesus replied: ‘Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty, but since you say, “We see,” your guilt remains.’

 

The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)