Fourth Sunday of Lent - March 22
1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
In today’s Gospel from John, we witness Jesus restoring the sight to a beggar born blind. We also witness the dubious reaction of the Pharisees to this miracle. Because Jesus made clay and healed the beggar on the Sabbath, the Pharisees suggested, “This man cannot be from God because he does
not keep the Sabbath.” Others wondered “if a man is a sinner, how can he perform signs like these?” The Pharisees were “blind” to the miracle because Jesus’ behavior seemed to fly in the face of their preconceptions of what makes a person holy, or unholy.
Recently, I find myself preoccupied with the state of our nation. We are divided politically and we engage in intellectual isolation that ensures the persistence of that divide. We digest social media and television networks that continuously reinforce our own beliefs and perspectives. We ignore what we don’t like to see and have been introduced to terms like “fake news” and “alternative facts” – terms foreign to us just a decade ago. I worry that like the Pharisees we are becoming “blind,” choosing only what we want to see.
During this period of Lenten reflection, I challenge us all to reopen our eyes. Like the beggar born blind, let’s try to see the world as if it’s for the first time. May we clearly see not only the sights that please us but also those that challenge each of our preconceptions.
Q: Light reveals truth. When we see through the Light of Christ, we see as Jesus would see. Only then can we determine what is real and what is fake. To what political or social ideas have you closed your eyes? Ask Jesus to shed his Light on those issues with which you struggle most to understand.
In today’s Gospel from John, we witness Jesus restoring the sight to a beggar born blind. We also witness the dubious reaction of the Pharisees to this miracle. Because Jesus made clay and healed the beggar on the Sabbath, the Pharisees suggested, “This man cannot be from God because he does
not keep the Sabbath.” Others wondered “if a man is a sinner, how can he perform signs like these?” The Pharisees were “blind” to the miracle because Jesus’ behavior seemed to fly in the face of their preconceptions of what makes a person holy, or unholy.
Recently, I find myself preoccupied with the state of our nation. We are divided politically and we engage in intellectual isolation that ensures the persistence of that divide. We digest social media and television networks that continuously reinforce our own beliefs and perspectives. We ignore what we don’t like to see and have been introduced to terms like “fake news” and “alternative facts” – terms foreign to us just a decade ago. I worry that like the Pharisees we are becoming “blind,” choosing only what we want to see.
During this period of Lenten reflection, I challenge us all to reopen our eyes. Like the beggar born blind, let’s try to see the world as if it’s for the first time. May we clearly see not only the sights that please us but also those that challenge each of our preconceptions.
Q: Light reveals truth. When we see through the Light of Christ, we see as Jesus would see. Only then can we determine what is real and what is fake. To what political or social ideas have you closed your eyes? Ask Jesus to shed his Light on those issues with which you struggle most to understand.
Comments
Post a Comment