4th Sunday of Lent
March 30, 2014
REJOICE MY BLIND BROTHERS! For the light of Christ penetrates the darkness of our blindness, bringing us to the true vision of his glory, that we might believe – first, with our eyes – and then through our lives, illuminated by the light of divine grace.
The connection between sight and light is drawn for us in the choice of the second reading (Ephesians 5:8-14) and the Gospel of the day (John 9:1-41). We are challenged to ask ourselves what is the nature of our faculty of sight? What do we choose to see with our eyes? And it is a choice. We can, like the blind man in the Gospel account, choose to see Jesus, the Son of Man, in the world around us; acknowledging his presence in the light of the created world and the fruits of human endeavour. Or, we can choose to see the law breakers, the evil, the sinners, the darkness of the world and refuse to accept the light of Christ, as did the Pharisees.
The blind man was blinded from birth by sin and ignorance. The Pharisees had sight and full knowledge of the scriptures and yet were blinded by arrogance and self-importance. Who did the Lord choose to heal? The blind man is told to wash in the Pool of Siloam, a name that means 'sent' in Hebrew. In baptism we are called by Jesus, cleansed of sin and ignorance and, more importantly, sent to see and be the light of God in the world of darkness.
Be in no doubt; we are not meant to see our own image in the situation of the blind man in today's Gospel. The message is not that we are blinded by sin and ignorance and consequently healed by the Lord. No! We approach the Gospel account not as the blind man but as the Pharisees, for we have already been called by Christ and sent through the waters of Baptism out of the darkness into the light of the Lord. As St. Paul reminds us, "You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of the light."
The Gospel is a reminder of the saving grace of the Lord, who washes us clean of sin and guilt through baptism and calls us to acknowledge His saving grace. It is equally a reminder that once we have been so called, we have responsibilities. We are responsible for the light we have been given in Christ.
Today I have a choice. I can choose to be the Pharisee. I can keep the light to myself. It is mine because I am special, called. And you are not. I went to Mass today. But you did not. As I stood in line for communion, I saw that you, a sinner, did not go up to receive the Lord. As I was driving out of the church carpark, I wondered why you even bother going to church when you park in such an inconsiderate way. And as I drove home, I scorned the sinners surrounding me driving too fast, too slow, without indicating turns or stopping at junctions, thinking that they, so obviously, had not just come from Mass like me. And I said to the Lord, "Oh that you would convert these sinners, so that I wouldn't have to be surrounded by these people and their evil ways. All around me I see sin and ignorance."
And the Lord replied, "Oh that you were blind. If you were, you would not be guilty. You claim to see but fail to be my light. You responded to my call, but when I healed you of the blindness of sin and ignorance, you refused to be sent to take my light in to the world; to not just see but be my light. And now all you see is darkness because the sight I gave to you, you have blinded with arrogance and hatred."
Rejoice then, my blind brothers, for the Lord will heal your blindness. But with the gift of sight you are charged to not only see the light of Christ but to be the light of Christ. Open your eyes and see the light of Christ's goodness around you. And where you see darkness, be the light that is missing from that place. The light you possess is not yours but the Lord's. And just as the Lord's light penetrated through the darkness, sin and ignorance of your blindness, so too does the light you carry have the power to heal, when in you, the sinner sees not the Pharisee but the light of Christ Himself.
May the blessing of Christ's light be before your eyes now and forever.
