Throughout her life, a dear friend of mine has endured many hardships and experienced much heartbreak. During her twenty-five years of marriage, her husband had numerous affairs, became an alcoholic, and subjected her to extreme psychological abuse, giving her no support as she struggled to raise five children. Since their separation, he has been unfaithful to their divorce settlement, often leaving her in a precarious financial situation. She now is wrestling with a number of health problems. Yet instead of becoming a bitter and defeated individual, she has come to enjoy a deep, abiding, and truly remarkable faith.
She tells me that she used to find strength in the popular “Footprints” story in which a man dreams of his life as a walk along the beach with the Lord. Most of the time, two sets of footprints were visible in the sand- one for Jesus, and one for the man. However, during times of suffering, pain, and trial, there was only one set of footprints. The man was angry and he challenged Jesus. “Where were you when I needed you most?” he cried. Jesus replied, “I was with you all along! When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
These days, however, she doesn’t find much inspiration in this story. She explains that she no longer has to ask Jesus about where he was during the most painful periods in her life. She now knows, through her experience, that Jesus is always at her side. Suffering didn’t weaken her faith. Instead, it made it grow stronger.
This is also the experience of the “man born blind” in today’s gospel. Like my friend, he has endured a truly “hard knock life.” Until his encounter with Jesus, he’d spent his days as a panhandler, begging small change from passers-by. Most probably, people tossed him insults as often as they tossed him money, considering that the disciples themselves suggested out loud that he must be some sort of sinner. But then Jesus healed him, restoring his vision and giving him a new lease on life.
Ironically, however, this is when the man’s plight becomes even worse. Nobody shares his joy in his newfound sight. Instead, he’s met with suspicion, interrogation, and hostility. His own parents kept him at arm’s length. Religious leaders berate him as one “born in utter sin” and cast him out of the synagogue. Not only did this make him a pariah in the Jewish community, it also placed him in violation of Roman law, as it legally made him an atheist. So pity the poor man born blind! Instead of being allowed to celebrate his grace-filled encounter with Jesus, he’s alienated from his family, ostracized by his religion, and made a criminal in the eyes of the state. Yet, even after all of this, the “man born blind” was still able to embrace Jesus as his savior.
The story of the “man born blind” is meant to be our story as well. As St. Augustine once wrote, the man born blind stands for the whole human race. His experience teaches that our life of faith, which begins at baptism, can grow through difficult testing and suffering.
The gospel demonstrates this in a subtle way. It begins by making suggestive references to the sacrament of baptism. Consider how Jesus healed the “man born blind.” To begin with, Jesus made clay with his saliva and anointed the man’s eyes. This recalls two things. First, the anointing intentionally calls to mind the anointing with oil in the baptism ritual. Second, the clay expresses our belief that in baptism one is made a “new creation,” just as the first human being was created from clay in the Genesis story.
Next, Jesus instructs the blind man to wash in the “Pool of Siloam,” which, we’re specifically told, means “Sent.” These too are baptismal references. Baptism washes away our sin in a pool of water, and it unites us with Jesus, the one sent by the Father. Finally, having followed Jesus’ instructions, the man was able to see Jesus, who had just identified himself as the “light of the world,” just as in baptism we’re “enlightened” to “see” Jesus with eyes of faith.
This healing event, however, was only the beginning of the man’s journey of faith. His faith came to maturity only through his experience of testing and suffering. When his back was against the wall, he found no help or comfort from his family, the government, or his community of faith. He had no one else to turn to but Jesus! And even that took a leap of faith, because Jesus was seemingly absent throughout his ordeal. It was only when the man had hit “rock bottom” that Jesus re-appeared in person.
But maybe that’s precisely the point. It takes great faith to trust in Jesus when he doesn’t seem to be there. But that’s what the “man born blind” did. He trusted, and his faith grew. We can see this in the progressively more insightful terms he used in reference to Jesus. For instance, when first asked as to how his eyes were opened, he explained that he was healed by the “man called Jesus.” Later, when challenged again, he called Jesus a “prophet.” When pressed he even further, he asserted that Jesus was “from God.” Ultimately, after having been expelled from the synagogue, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshipped him as Lord.
It’s true that, as the old proverb goes, “Into every life a little rain must fall.” For some people, this rain is just a sprinkle; for others, it’s a downpour. Yet the story of the “man born blind” offers us hope that this inevitable rain, instead of dampening our faith, may help it blossom and flourish.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Light of the World, brings light to a man born blind. If you are prepared to accept it, you are the man born blind, for all of us were born blind and in darkness. It was our baptism alone, and the faith it gave, which has rendered us able to see, and, by stages, to come more fully into the light. The man in today’s Gospel shows forth the stages of the Christian walk, out of darkness, and into the beautiful light of Christ. Let’s take a moment and observe these stages evident in this man, for we are the man.
I. The Problem that is Presented – We are introduced to man who was blind from his birth, he is quite incapable of seeing at all. The text says: As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
So there is the problem, he is blind, he has no vision. And this us. On account of Original Sin we had lost all spiritual vision. We could not see God, or endure the light of his glory. This lack of vision causes many to have no “vision” for their life. They don’t know why they were made, or what the true purpose of their existence is. Many cannot see past the sufferings of this world to the glory that waits. Still others have retreated into the material world and cannot see beyond it. Others have retreated even further, away from reality into the realm only of their mind, their own opinions and so forth. St. Augustine describes this condition of the human person as curvatus in se (man, turned in on himself). Yes, there is a blindness that imprisons many in the darkness. And even for us who do believe there are still areas where it is hard for us to see. Coming to see God more fully, and ourselves as we really are is a journey we are still on.
While the disciples want to dwell on secondary causes, Jesus sidesteps these concerns and focuses on solutions. The fact is he is blind, assessing blame is unproductive. Healing the man is uppermost. In a statement, dripping with irony, Jesus says that the works of God will be made visible in a blind man. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. (1 Cor 1:25). Yes, God can make a way out of no way and write straight with crooked lines. So Jesus gets to work.
II. The Purification that is Prescribed – Having diagnosed the problem and noting that the man is in darkness, Jesus, the Light of the World, begins the work of healing this man. The text says, When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” – which means Sent -. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
Hopefully, you can see baptism here. Jesus says, “Go and wash.” – He went, he washed and he came back able to see. Yes, this is baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says of Baptism: This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this [catechetical] instruction are enlightened in their understanding… Having received in Baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,” the person baptized has been “enlightened,” he becomes a “son of light,” indeed, he becomes “light” himself.…(CCC1216).
Baptism is required, in order to truly see. It is no mere aside that John mentions the name of the pool to which the man goes: Siloam, a name which means “sent.” Jesus sends him, and He sends us. Baptism is required. Jesus says elsewhere: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
Notice he comes back ABLE to see. But just because you’re able to see does not mean you actually DO see. Right now I am able to see the Statue of liberty, my eyes work fine for that. But I do not yet see it. I have to make a journey to do that. Thus, the man here is able to see Jesus, but he does not yet see him. He has a journey to make in order to do that. Though able to see but he, like we, has a long way to go to see Jesus fully, and face to face. Baptism is not the end of our journey but the beginning of it. It renders us able to see. But we are still new born babes. We need to grow. We can see, but there is plenty we haven’t seen yet.
III. The Perception that is Partial – Hence we notice the man can see, but he still does not know much of the one who has enabled him to see. Notice what the text says: His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is, ” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
So he’s able to see. But he hasn’t seen much. The man must grow in his faith to come to know who Jesus Really is. Look at how his partial perception is described. For now, he merely understands Jesus as “the man called Jesus.” To him, Jesus is just some “dude,” some “guy.” And then they ask where Jesus is, and all he can say is that he does “not know.” Hence although he able to see, he does not yet actually see Jesus.
And this describes a lot of Christians. They know about Jesus but they don’t know him. Many Catholics in the pews are “sacramentalized but unevangelized.” That is, they have received the sacraments, but have never really met Jesus Christ and do not know him in any more than an intellectual way. Many don’t even expect to know him. He is little better to them than “the man called Jesus.” They’ve heard of Jesus, and even know some basic facts, but he still remains a distant figure in their lives. And when asked questions about him, they respond like this man, “I don’t know.”
The man needs to make progress, and he will and we shall now see. Remember, you are the man.
IV. Progress Through Persecution and Pondering – The text goes on to show us the progress this formerly blind man makes in coming to know and finally see Jesus. It is interesting that this progress comes largely through persecution. Now persecution for us need not always be understood as being arrested and thrown in jail etc. Persecution can come in many forms such as puzzlement, expressed by relatives and friends, ridicule of Catholicism in the media, or even those internal voices that make us question our faith. But, in what ever form, persecution has a way of making us face the questions, and refine our understanding. Our vision gets clearer as we meet the challenges.
Notice the man’s progress up till now. He HAS been baptized and is now able to see. But he still knows little of Jesus calling only “the man called Jesus,” and not really knowing where Jesus is. But, he is about to grow, and he does so in several stages.
In stage one of his post-baptismal growthwe that his neighbors turn on him and bring him to the Pharisees who interrogate him because Jesus had healed him on a sabbath. The text says,
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. So then, the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
Thus notice what this persecution does for him. As he is challenged to say something about Jesus he moves beyond calling him “the man called Jesus” and describes Jesus as a “prophet.” He has gained some insight here. A prophet speaks for God and, Jesus is the Word, made flesh.
In Stage two of his post-baptismal growth we see that the Pharisees doubt his story and broaden their persecution to interrogate and threaten his fearful parents, and then they call him back and put him under oath and declare Jesus to be a sinner. The text says:
Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” his parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”
In stage three of his post-baptismal growth we note that the continuing persecution seems to make him grow even stronger and more able to withstand his opponents. Note his determination and fearlessness in the second interrogation he faces which includes ridiculing him and placing him under oath:
So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.
The result of this is to further deepen his vision of Jesus. For, at first, he saw him only as “the man called Jesus,” then he sees him as a prophet, now he goes further and sees him as “from God.” He’s progressing from sight to insight. His ability to see, given him in baptism is now resulting in even clearer vision.
This then, leads us to the final end of this gospel and this man’s journey.
V.Perfection that is Portrayed – He has been thrown out of the synagogue, as many early Christians were. He has endured the hatred of the world, and the loss of many things. Now, cast aside, and hated by the world, the Lord approaches him. The text says:
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.”He said, “I do believe, Lord, ” and he worshiped him.
Now his vision is plain. After all this, he finally sees. He sees, not only Jesus, but Who Jesus is. First he saw him only as “the man called Jesus.” Next a prophet. Next, he says, he is from God. But this final stage is the best of all. He actually sees Jesus and falls down to worship Him, Jesus is not only from God, he IS God. Christ has fully enlightened this man.
This is our journey, moving in stages to more perfectly know Jesus. One day we will see him face to face. But even before that time we are called to grow in faith by stages so that we see Jesus for who he is.
Where are you on this journey? Our vision is daily getting better if we are faithful but it is not yet complete. Scripture says
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. (1 Cor 13:12)
Beloved, we are God’s children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2)
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; when can I enter and see the face of God? (Psalm 42:2)
For now, make this journey. Journey in stages. Come to know who Jesus is.
I have it on the best of authority that the man, on his journey to Jesus, sang this song: Walk in the Light, beautiful light. Come where the dew-drops of mercy shine bright. Walk all around us by day and by night, O Jesus the Light of the World!
Today pilgrims made their way to the Basilica da San Lorenzo in Lucina. This church lies nestled in a quiet piazza. Just a few yards away one finds the busy Via del Corso lined with boutiques and shops. Contrasting the quiet church piazza and the busy via offers a great Lenten reminder. It calls to mind this season’s invitation to take some steps back from the interests of this world to reflect instead on God and to seek first His Kingdom.
In the Gospel we hear Christ tell the scribe, “you are not far from the Kingdom of God.” Christ speaks these words just as much to each of us today as he did to the scribe in the Gospel. We do well to remember that we believe the Kingdom exists both “already” and “not yet.” While the fulfillment of the Kingdom will be marked with Christ’s return, we nevertheless believe that through his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection it has already been inaugurated. Each one of us can here and now draw closer to the reality of that Kingdom. For Catechumens and Candidates, they will do so at the Easter Vigil by being fully received into the Church. For others, drawing nearer to the Kingdom this Lent may involve returning to the practice of the faith and/or seeking the sacrament of Reconciliation. For most of us, I imagine that drawing near to the Kingdom lies in the small daily conversions which aim to bring us closer to God. Often this is the fruit we desired from our Lenten practices.
Our Call to Rejoice
This Sunday the Church marks Laetare Sunday. She invites us to “rejoice!” as we cross this threshold over the midpoint of Lent and, more importantly, come closer to the Resurrection, Christ’s victory over sin and death on our behalf, which serves as the true source of our joy. This midpoint provides a wonderful opportunity to take stock of our Lenten practices. For some of us this will be a cause for rejoicing and giving thanks as we take note at how God has used these practices to turn us more towards Himself. For others of us it is still a cause for rejoicing! Although we may have experienced difficulty up to this point with our practices, there is still time and God is generous! Just recall the parable of the landowner (Mt 20:1-16). He paid the laborers he called at the waning hours of the day the same amount as those who had been at work from the early morning.
Who is it today that you’re finding it difficult to love? Is it someone at home, on the job, in the neighborhood, at church, in the public spotlight? Whoever it may be, today’s gospel challenges us to make the intentional effort- to go the extra mile- to love that person.
As we heard, a scribe asked Jesus what he thought was the first of all the commandments. But Jesus didn’t just give him the first, which is the commandment to love God above all else. Jesus gave him the second as well, which is the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus did this because we cannot love God if we don’t love our neighbor.
But just how are we to love? What are we supposed to do? St. Thomas Aquinas said, “Love is wanting what is best for a person and doing what you reasonably can to bring goodness and good things to that person.”
Applying this to the person we’re finding it difficult to love will take different forms, depending on the circumstances. We may need to exercise patience, swallow our pride, offer forgiveness, be intentionally kind, give them some type of help, or make amends for something hurtful we may have done to them.
But regardless of what we might need to do to these difficult people, love them we must, if we wish to be people who truly love God.
Our pilgrimage today takes us to the small church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, a basilica actually located in the Roman Forum, the ancient center of Rome. Parts of this church in fact come from buildings in use during the time of the Roman Empire. The present day church also boasts of a beautiful mosaic of Christ behind the altar in the apse, artwork that dates back to the 6th century. This basilica honors the two brothers, Cosmas and Damian, who were tortured and beheaded for their faith around the year 303 A.D. In fact, their names appear in Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon).
Today’s Responsorial Psalm reads, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. The homily at Mass spoke of Lent being a time where we look into our hearts to see what it is we really desire. We have many wants and needs, but during Lent we must ask ourselves frankly: “Is Jesus Christ enough for me?” If we are not satisfied with him in this life, will we be satisfied with him in the next? This Lent Jesus Christ is calling us anew, calling us to trust that by seeking him first, everything else will be given to us. Let us not harden our hearts to his invitation.
Are you with me or against me? This is the choice Jesus presents to us in today’s gospel. As we heard, Jesus had performed a miraculous healing. Critics said his action was evil. Jesus said it was a sign of the kingdom of God. Then he said we needed to choose whose side we were on. If you think about it, this is a choice we need to make every day, if not several times a day.
On our worst days, we reject Jesus altogether. We’re like the people Jeremiah spoke about in the first reading: disobedient, disloyal, deaf to God’s word. On other days, however, we do want to side with Jesus…but only on our terms. In other words:
• We’re willing to sacrifice…within reasonable limits;
• We’re willing to forgive…those people who are truly sorry;
• We’re willing to love…those people we find lovable;
• We’re willing to give…so long as we receive;
• We’re happy to follow Jesus…as long as he goes where we want him to.
Today’s gospel reminds us that we can’t have it both ways. As Jesus said, the kingdom of God has indeed come upon us. And we need to choose to follow our king, without limit, and without compromise. So today when we hear his voice, let us harden not our hearts.
Wednesday after the Third Sunday of Lent brings us to San Sisto. This Church was built to mark the spot where on his way to martyrdom Pope Saint Sixtus II (257-258) met St. Lawrence. St. Sixtus’s courageous witness has earned him a place in the Roman Canon, Eucharistic prayer one.
Early records from 595 mention this church existing. In 1219 Pope Honorius III entrusted this church to the newly formed Dominican order, and St. Dominic himself lived here before he died in 1221.
Our reflection today focuses on the early Christian martyrs. One of emperor Nero’s favorite hobbies was to find new ways to torture Christians in Rome. One way was to set them on fire, making torches out of them to light the streets of Rome at night. What Nero did not realize is that the light from these torches would shine through the millennia, pierce through the centuries, and become a beacon for Christians throughout history. The reason we celebrate the early martyrs is because they had the faith Christ calls us to in the Gospel today. In the violent storm of their lives, they trusted in the Lord and publically proclaimed that their primary allegiance was to Christ over any earthly power. They trusted that not even death could separate them from the love of Christ. We pray that St. Sixtus will intercede for us so that God would grant us the same profound faith that he and the martyrs had. May the light that early martyrs produced continue to illuminate our path to sanctity.
Are you familiar with the expression, “Always read the fine print?” Doyou always read the fine print? I know I don’t. I once heard a comedy routine that put “always read the fine print” in the same category as “rinse and repeat” and “do not insert cotton swab into the ear canal.” The point was, of course, that we usually ignore this good advice.
In today’s gospel, however, Jesus tells us that we do need to read the fine print when it comes to the law of God. He promises us that until the end of time, not an iota, not a dot of God’s law will pass away. Jesus explained that he wouldn’t abolish even the smallest part of it, as some of his contemporaries had feared, or perhaps had hoped.
But we might ask ourselves the question: Who would want this law to pass away? Who would wish to see it abolished? In today’s first reading, Moses said that the keeping of this just, life-giving law brings God close to us, and shows us to be wise and intelligent.
And let’s be honest: Who amongst us doesn’t want justice, life, wisdom, and intelligence? Who amongst us doesn’t want God to be close beside us? Deep down, this is what we all want, because God has made us this way. That’s why Jesus said that those who keep and teach God’s law are truly great in the kingdom of God. Indeed, when it comes to God’s law, we should always read the fine print.
She tells me that she used to find strength in the popular “Footprints” story in which a man dreams of his life as a walk along the beach with the Lord. Most of the time, two sets of footprints were visible in the sand- one for Jesus, and one for the man. However, during times of suffering, pain, and trial, there was only one set of footprints. The man was angry and he challenged Jesus. “Where were you when I needed you most?” he cried. Jesus replied, “I was with you all along! When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
synagogue, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshipped him as Lord.
