I Am the Light of the World
Homily for the 4th Sunday in Lent
In the A Cycle of the Lectionary for Sunday Mass, the Gospels for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays are tailored to the OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. The emphasis of the OCIA is the formation of Catholic disciples by immersing the catechumens in the prayer life, the teachings of the faith, and by discovering what it means to be a Catholic in today’s world.
In these three weeks we are put in touch with the earliest celebration of Lent which originally was a four-week preparation for the men and women seeking Baptism. In these four weeks, the catechumens, those seeking baptism, undergo an examination of their readiness to take on the Christian life, which is referred to as the “scrutinies.” Today, the second scrutiny shifts the focus from the soul’s desire to the vision of faith. Jesus heals a man born blind using clay and spittle, but very quickly we realize that the physical miracle is secondary to the spiritual one.
Jesus is not featured as prominently in today’s Gospel as he was last week. He is present at the beginning and the end of today’s story. However, the man who is given sight is challenged by the Pharisees who refuse to believe his story. Gradually the man begins to realize that something far greater that the ability to see has happened to him. He comes to believe in Jesus. The Gospel reveals this transformation through the titles he uses to identify the man who healed him. First, he refers to Jesus as a prophet. The Pharisees tell the man that this man is a sinner. However, he refutes their claim by identifying Jesus as one sent by God. He states: “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.” They throw him out of the synagogue for his statements.
At this point, Jesus reenters the story and asks the man: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This title was used for the one that Jews called the Messiah, the anointed one. When Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man, the man born blind demonstrates his faith by calling Jesus, “Lord,” and by worshipping him - a prophet sent by God, then the Son of Man, and finally, “Lord.”
Ironically, as the man gains physical sight and eventually recognizes Jesus for who he is, the religious leaders, who claim they can see, become increasingly “blind” through their pride to all that God is doing. They place limits on who and when God acts and that is their blindness.
The catechumens are called upon to trust not in their own abilities, which can be compromised by pride and prejudice (represented by the Pharisees), but by keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus who is Lord and who reveals the Father who so loved the world that he gave us his only Son.
Now, as I did last week, I have to ask the question: “What does this Gospel mean for us who are already baptized?” In the first reading, Samuel is challenged to see not as man sees, but as God sees. This challenge is also meant for us. Who or what do we see in our neighbors? The Church teaches us that we should see God in our neighbor. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we have been called out of darkness into the light. Do we acknowledge Jesus as the light of the world? Or are we still living in “darkness,” refusing to see God at work in our lives? Have we been blinded by the sirens of this world who tempt us to follow our own will rather than the will of God?
As we come to closer to the Easter mysteries, I remind you all that we will be called upon to profess our faith by renewing our Baptismal promises on Easter Sunday. We will once again state that we have set aside the temptations of Satan and place our faith in Jesus, who is Lord. These cannot be idle words. We will be held accountable when the Son of Man returns with salvation for those who believe in Him.
3