First Reading: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6–7, 10–13a
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1–3a, 3b–4, 5, 6
Second Reading: Eph 5:8–14
Gospel: Jn 9:1–41 or 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38
St. Matthew Catholic Church, Arlington, TX
I understand
many of you may be scared right now. Borrowing the words of Christ repeated
dozens of times in the Gospels, I urge you: Be not afraid! We are being
bombarded with so many contradictory messages in the media from many different
sources that do not always agree with each other. We are being forced to live
our lives in ways that are uncomfortable and strange to us. Sometimes it seems
like hope is giving way to darkness. But it is within the darkness that the
light shines the brightest. With this Coronavirus pandemic comes a choice each
of us must make: will we live in darkness and fear or in the hopeful light that
comes from discipleship?
The Gospel today is not a story
about fear, but is about discipleship.
“The healing of the man born blind [is a story of] of conversion, baptism, and
spiritual transformation.”[1]
The blind man represents all of humanity, damaged by original sin – he is born
blind. He lives in darkness and fear. When Jesus smears the mud on his eyes and
washes with water, the blind man can begin to see. The Greek word used for
smear (epichrio) means to anoint.
Remember Christians that in baptism, you were anointed with oil and washed in
water, just as the blind was in the Gospel. When the blind man can see and his
eyes are opened, he can then recognize the one standing before him – Jesus
Christ, the Messiah. Because of our baptism, we can proclaim the same Jesus
Christ as the Son of God, our savior. Even when the Pharisees torment the man
who was born blind, he refuses to back down. “One thing I do know is that I was
blind and now I see.” (Jn 9:25). He becomes a disciple of Christ. Like that
man, we are to stand strong in the face of opposition in the world. We are to
be radical witnesses to Christ and be disciples. That man in the Gospel was
born blind, in the dark, but Jesus opened his eyes and he was able to see the
light. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. In the previous chapter Jesus
said “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.” (Jn 8:12). That is the path given to each of us today. We were born
blind in the darkness of original sin. Now, through baptism we can see the
light. Will we follow the path of the disciple and live in the light of Christ
where there is hope? Or will we retreat back into the darkness and turn away
from Christ in fear?
In the midst of all the confusion and
uncertainty, we are faced with a choice between the darkness of fear and the light
of discipleship. We can fall prey to the chaos and despair where the evil one
wants us. Or we can take to heart what Jesus says in the Gospel today and draw
hope and comfort from it. We can respond as disciples of the Risen Lord. When
we live as Jesus taught us to, we do not need to live in fear. Let us continue
our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Be prudent, take
precautions, wash your hands…a lot, but do not fear. Emmanuel! God is with us. We
are his disciples. Live in the
light, live in hope, be not afraid. Rejoice!
St.
Joseph, Comfort of the Afflicted, Pray for us!
St.
Joseph, Hope of the Sick, Pray for us!
St.
Joseph, Protector of the Holy Church, Pray for us!
[1]
Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The
Gospel of John, ed. Peter S. Williamson and Mary Healy, Catholic Commentary
on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015), 173.
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