The blind man with a miracle, division and belief: 4th Sunday of Lent

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

Last weekend we listened to the Samaritan Woman

·      She and Jesus Christ had a conversation

·      Jesus brought it deeper, and deeper and deeper

·      Here is something important…she called in a spiral belief

o   She called Jesus sir…sir…sir…prophet…Could he possibly be the Christ?

This weekend we listened to the blind from birth

·      Jesus gave him sight

·      He called him a prophet

·      "If he is a sinner, I do not know.  One thing I do know is that I was blind and now.”

·      "Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"

·      “"You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he."  He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.

Wow

Division

·      The Jews—this means the leaders of the Jewish religion

o   Not all Jews—Jesus was a Jew!  So was his disciples!

·      They tested his parents…they tested the man who was blind, then he could see

·      I love his line to these challenging people:

o   "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.  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.  If this man were not from God,he would not be able to do anything."

·      The blind man could both physically and spiritually see!

o   The physically who could see was blinded in their spiritually lives

·      If you cannot see God, you cannot see God

Even Jesus’ disciples said

·      "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

·      "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”

·      “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Who are you in this experience?

·      Do you judge and gossip about another person?

·      Do you caricature parents of children?

·      Are you blind, not physically, but spiritually?

First reading:

·      “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance  but the LORD looks into the heart.”

Second reading:

·      “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.”

Lent is a time to learn from Jesus Christ: our savior

·      Look to the light, not blindness!