FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: YEAR A SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: YEAR A

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

♥ The entrance antiphon of today uses the phrase: “Rejoice…” 

♥ Because today is Laetare Sunday

♥ Doctors of the Law were not able to rejoice over the fact that the man born blind was able to see.

♥ I had a similar experience. One girl was allowed by the parish priest to receive communion after a long time. When the leaders came to know about it, they came immediately to the parish priest to object to the fact that she came to meet the parish priest without the permission of the leaders. One of them told me: “Fr. Blasius! you know things. You should have informed us.” They were more worried about the permission that was not got from them than the daughter who was able to receive Jesus, who came one step closer to Jesus. They could not ‘rejoice’ over the fact that one of their daughters was brought one step closer to God.

COLLECT

♥ Today’s collect uses the phrase: “…O God who through your Word reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way…”

♥ Jesus said: “This man is born blind so that God’s wonder may be displayed in him” God reconciled the blind man with God. The man after being healed he knelt down before him. This is reconciliation with God in Christ Jesus. But the doctors of the Law could not reconcile with the fact that Jesus was a prophet, the son of God. Instead they called him a “sinner”.

ACCLAMATION

♥ The acclamation of today says: “I am the light of the world”

♥ Light of the world was with them and the doctors of the law could not recognize him. They were celebrating the feast of the tabernacle, the feast of light but they were blind to the “real light” as the creed says “ light from light”. John the Baptist was not the light. He came to show the LIGHT. …And we have seen his “glory”. Oh my God!!!!. Its so cute, so awesome. And the Doctors of the Law could not see that.

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS

♥ Here we find a phrase: “…We place before you with JOY these gifts…”

♥ Have we come to this church joyfully praising God for his graces and blessings.

 COMMUNION ANTIPHON

♥ Here we find a phrase: “…The Lord anointed my eyes…”

♥ We need to ask the Lord to ANOINT our eyes that we may see him, SEE the good things of life and  the world.

♥ Job says: “I have made a covenant with my eyes not to see women [men] lustfully.”

♥ Our yes are the doors and windows to the heart. What  we see in the internet, mobiles…. will enter our heart and mind.

FIRST READING

♥ God looks at the heart. Human beings look at the physical appearance, qualification, bank balance, height….

♥ They could not see David. But God saw him and called him. Human beings will see appearance but God will look at our heart.

♥ This thought can liberate you. Make you free to serve others better. It will free you from human respect. Last Sunday the Samaritan woman was made free. She became the first evangelist. So beautiful.

♥ Samuel anointed David in the midst of his brothers. They rejected him but God accepted him. Mary sang this reality in her song of praise. He will lift up the lowly and brought down the proud.

♥ Responsorial Psalm says: “You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

♥ The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

♥ A shepherd goes ahead of the sheep. In the life of St. Francis de Sales he had a seminarian. And Francis could see that his [seminarian] guardian angel was going in front of him every time. But after his ordination Francis saw that his guardian angel went behind him. He lost the grace of ordination. It can happen to anyone of us. It happened to the doctors of the Law. The Doctors of the Law had lost that. Today the psalmist says:” He guides me along the right path. He guides be by walking in front.

SECOND READING

♥ Live as children of God. Do what is pleasing to him. Take no part in the unfruitful work like the doctors of the law. Expose the unfruitful work. Become transparent in your life especially with regard to your vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, in your dealings with others. When we are in the light everybody can see us. We are transparent.

GOSPEL READING

♥ Sometime blind people are: very aware of spiritual reality. They understand more about God. They have more to give.

♥ We can ask ourselves today: Am I blind?

♥The man could not commit sin in the womb because he did not exist. He was born blind so that works of God could be displayed in him.

♥ LIFE: God is love. He loves life. That is why he came. I have come that you may have life and life to the full. The Responsorial Psalm is saying that. He leads me to the green grass, and fresh waters…. This signifies life. And how can he make someone blind because of his sins or the sin of somebody else.

♥ AS LONG AS WE HAVE LIGHT/ we have life we need to work for the kingdom of God. It will be dark soon. We will die soon. The death cannot praise you, those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. So do good as long as God is with you. As long as you are in the light, in God's favour. If God is not with you you cannot work. It will not be God’s work

♥ JESUS MADE A PASTE: This reminds me that I am dust and to dust I shall return.

♥ Siloam: “Journey of the soul…. Life to wholeness.” This is what is written in Siloam, Barapani. The blind man was made whole. Our baptism made us whole. Are we still whole or we have destroyed this wholeness.

♥ THE MAN COULD SEE: It is so beautiful he could see water, eyes nose yes for the first time. He could have seen children running around. My God! It’s fabulous.

♥ PEOPLE’S REACTION: Some said “yes” this is the man, some said no he looks like him. Doctors of the law questioned him. His own parents were afraid to accept the fact. They were scared. People hardly bother about what happens to you. Why do you waste your time in thinking what others will say. What are they thinking about you.

♥ I DON’T KNOW: Oh my God! Jesus is so humble. After curing him he disappeared. The man does not even know where he went. If I had performed that miracle I could have been there around to see what others are saying; to see what colour the eyes are….. but not Jesus. “For I am meek and humble of Heart.” Yes he is .

♥ Two things happened: 1) a man born blind 2) Jesus made little paste. And the doctors of the Law were lost with that “little past.” We make mountain out of molehills.

♥ QUESTION: They questioned the man so many times: because they did not get the answer they wanted.

♥ They were waiting for the Messiah and when he came they could not recognize him.

♥ SABBATH AND EYEBALL: they said that Sabbath came before the eyeball. They were so much attached to their dry traditions.

♥ PARENTS:  They were not grateful. If they were grateful they could have inquired: son where is the man who cured you. We want to meet him, we want to thank him…….

♥ How many of us suffer from human respect. Afraid all the time as to what others will say... If I say this that person will not love me... They will think less of me... Last Sunday, the Samaritan woman lost all her human respect after meeting Jesus and she ran to the village to meet them and tell them. She became the first evangelist.

♥ We have more fear of men and society than God who will judge us. Man may take away my job, may fire me, or kill me. But God…? You have to be strong today to say that you love Jesus, that you cannot say lie or cheat.

♥ DISCIPLE: The man said: “So you want to be his disciples as well.” They said: “we are disciples of Moses”. Oh my God. If Moses were to be there he could have bowed down in front of Jesus.

♥ YOU DON’T KNOW?  He opened my eyes and you don’t know who he is. You are doctors of the law.

== Three cheers to this man. When I go to heaven He will be the first guy I want to see. Yes he has guts.

♥BLIND MAN WITH BETTER KNOWLEDGE THAN THE DOCTORS OF THE LAW: He said: “God listen to the man who is devout and do his will.

== ever since the world began nothing of this sort has happened….

If he were not of God, he could have not done this…

== see how much he knows. He knows more than the doctors of the Law

== he is giving them sermon. with four years of my theology i cannot give better sermon than this blind man.

== if they were humble … they could have said thank you

♥ SUFFERING: we may suffer a lot but Jesus Knows us. He looks at our hearts not at our appearance.

 ♥ We need to grow in the knowledge of God daily as the blind man grew in the knowledge of him, prophet, son of man,  son of God. At the end he said my Lord.

♥ Are we blind to the poverty, injustice that are around us.

♥What is the root cause of our blindness? Self-contentedness.

♥ William Berkeley: "God our Father we pray that we may see him more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more closely". Amen.