As in our Gospel for last Sunday with the “Woman at the Well”, the Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Lent also presents reversals of images and symbols. Last week the woman at the well hid her darkness of shame and sins in the blinding noontime desert sun. Jesus healed her darkness with his light. While in this week’s gospel we come upon a man who wants to see, and Jesus makes a mud-paste to bring sight to the man. We also hear once again from the fundamentalist Pharisees that prefer darkness— or worse yet, believe they see correctly and those who do not follow them are blind.
The journey of the blind man includes great faith and risk. He tells his neighbors that the one who healed him was the man called Jesus. Then he is questioned by the Pharisees at two separate times and they proclaim that this Jesus is a sinner, but the man defends the Lord, risking death. Interestingly, the man’s faith- inner vision becomes clearer as the story unfolds. Whereas the faith of the Pharisees and scribes becomes muddier ending in blindness to the Light of God right in front of their eyes. Self-righteously, they hold onto their belief that they see better than anyone else.
The man healed of his blindness proclaims to the Pharisees that Jesus has done something never heard of before and must have an intimate relationship with God. The man is thrown out of the synagogue, excommunicated from his religion. We hear of him during his second meeting with Jesus and the Lord asks him if he believes. The man falls down and worships the Lord. Spiritually and physically, he goes from blindness to the light of faith.
In the same way, we have the ability to choose light or darkness. This might seem like an easy choice, but in reality it is challenging. For we all are exposed to the bombardment and distortion of truth in all forms that surround us in secular life and all forms of media. Add to this people blindly following idols without knowing they have lost their vision over the frenzy and mesmerizing addiction to cause célèbre. Becoming numb to morals that are distortedly bent beyond reason, many comply and compromise who they are in Christ.
We can also become blinded when we give in to political rhetoric that can overpower us as we choose to not see and know what really happens in the plight of illegal immigrants: their families and the innocent children. We can easily forget how the majority of our families were immigrants to our nation and how hard they had to work and sacrifice.
Others can remain in the dark, and choose to ignore what really happens during and after an abortion. Instead the priority is womb-rights. Often Catholics choose to say that a fetus is nothing more than an accumulation of cells not a human. However, science has discovered that in the human womb the heart starts to beat in 7 weeks or less.
If people choose to remain in the dark, and choose to ignore moral norms of our Christian faith they remain in silent apathy as our state, along with too many other states, puts to death criminals rather than alternative punishments. Such alternatives to the death penalty are less costly to tax papers, and not morally reprehensible to our Catholic faith.
If we educate ourselves on the dynamics of addiction we learn that it is a disease not a crime and stop building prison labor camps that are money makers and tax credits and deductions for private and big industry. Statistically over 75% of the prison population has been incarcerated due to addiction issues that escalate. Our state spends more on jails, prisons and juvenile halls than on education.
The Good News in all of our public and personal challenges permeates the world, when we live in the Lord’s vision and light. It is then that we understand that we are morally responsible to help others such as the 25 million in our country (more than 50% are children) that go to bed hungry every day. We don’t stop with prayers; we also take action in Christ. Our various Catholic ministries and services locally and throughout the world support all levels of life that is at risk, with our charities, funds, and volunteers. Life and its sacredness are at issue in our nation and in the world on so many levels, for we do not choose selective vision.
Christ calls us to His light; to be open and be educated, educate others and respond. He calls us to living our faith in the stewardship of our sacred environment and eliminating excessive consumption rather than seeing all of nature at “our disposal”. It should not take a long term drought to teach us to be responsible for the gift of water.
God’s justice and peace, begins in our homes, with our children, families and into the workplace. Letting Jesus’ light enter into our dark places that need healing and forgiveness builds a stronger unity in families and sharing our truth with each other empowers more to follow the Lord.
Those who are elderly and at home can write letters and pray, those who are healthy can join and volunteer for anyone of our many parish and community organizations that bring aide for those in need. Those with professional gifts can give 1-2 hours a week helping those about ways to improve their lives, volunteer at our school, or help with the elderly with simple errands that become monumental. Those with young families can raise their voices electronically-social media and all. There are lots of opportunities to do so right here in our parish, in your families and community.
See Him in others in need, Fr. Gordon