Homily: 4th Sunday in Lent – Cycle A
On this morning in Lent we see before
our eyes the mystery of the battle between light and darkness. Christ is “the Light that enlightens every
man” and this story about the man blind from birth brings to mind our own
condition as baptized Christians.
The first question that we need to ask
ourselves, however, is this: “Is this gospel reading all about a miracle?” The answer, is “No.” You see, out of the 41 verses that make up
this passage, only a few are about the miracle, itself. And so what is this gospel passage about? What John really wants to describe, it seems,
is the process of faith. You see, in the
beginning of the story, all are blind—even those who think they can see. In the end, however, only one is cured and
the rest remain in their blindness. The
blind man, after having been given sight and after having been interrogated
about how he could now see, steps fully into the light when he confesses his
faith: “I do believe, Lord!” On the
other hand, the Jews remain in darkness when they ignore this miraculous cure
and, instead, condemn the Lord for having performed this work on the Sabbath,
saying: “We know that this man is a sinner!”
One thing that this demonstrates for
us is just how hard it is for those who do not wish to see. How hard it is for those who think they can
already see, those who want no other light but their own, those who don’t know
how to doubt or question their preconceived notions! They cannot see and, deep inside, they do not
want to see; and so they do not allow themselves to see. How, therefore, can they be enlightened by the
Light of the world? The answer, sadly,
is that they cannot: at least not as long as they persist in their blindness.
Just the other day I was talking with
our seminarian, Will, and we were discussing how to begin catechizing the
uncatechized. We talked a lot about the
content of what we would share with them: starting with “who God is” and “who I
am” and “what my relationship with God is”, but then I stepped back and
reminded him that the first step of it all has to be to help each person
realize that, as Pope Francis has often said of himself, he or she is a “sinner
who has been mercifully treated.” In
doing this, we help the person to acknowledge that he or she has been blind and
that he or she needs Christ, who is “the Light that enlightens every man”, in order
to see. Remember what Jesus said to the
Pharisees: “If you were blind, you would not have sin; but since you say, ‘we
see’, then your sin [that is, your true blindness] remains.” We must first acknowledge our blindness and
our inability to overcome it on our own.
Then Christ will enlighten us, little by little, until we reach the
fullness of day in His divine presence.
This “little by little” is actually
the long road of purification. After we
acknowledge our blindness and our need for Christ, we must then allow him to shine
light on all the dark places within us and we must choose to allow him to “clear
out” the darkness through the effusion of his light. The Elect, those who are preparing to be
baptized this Easter, are on this journey.
They, like all of us, have been born blind; but, through an encounter
with Christ in prayer, in his Word, and through the witness of this community,
they have had their eyes opened to the truth of his love and now stand before
us to ask for our prayers as they make their final preparations for their
Baptism. They ask for our prayers so
that they may be cured of every spiritual blindness and so become like us,
“children of light.”
Nevertheless, in our own selves we still
experience this battle between these two forces: Light and darkness. While the
ultimate victory of Light over darkness has already been won by Christ, the
victory in each one of us is still being fought. Yes, we have been won for Christ in baptism,
but we can still be lost. This is why
Saint Paul wrote to the Ephesians to remind them that, since they have become
light, they must now be light in the world and, therefore, that they must avoid
all contact with the “works of darkness”, lest they be lost to darkness once
again. Those of us who are striving to live our
discipleship intentionally will testify of just how conscious we are of this
battle. If you are not conscious of it,
then perhaps you might ask yourself whether or not you have become blind once
again.
My brothers and sisters, Christ is the
Light that overcomes all darkness, He conquers death, He guides and directs us,
He communicates the truth, and He leads us to salvation and joy. This is what
we celebrate at Easter. If we wish to
experience the fullness of joy that is available to us in this celebration,
then we must continue our work to acknowledge our blindness and allow Christ
the Light to destroy any darkness—that is, any sin—that is within us. Therefore, let us hear Saint Paul’s
admonition to the Ephesians as if he was admonishing us: “Live as children of
light … Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of
darkness; rather expose them … for everything that becomes visible is light.”
My friends, the grace to live as children
of light is available to us here in this Eucharist. May it strengthen us to fulfill this good
work of Lent that God has begun in us.
Given
at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – March 26th, 2017
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