Saints of God…
…the Lord be with you!
As far as I’m concerned, one of the great blessings of being in the liturgical year ‘A’, which uses the Gospel according to Matthew, is that the entire Church gets to hear the Gospel accounts from John in the third, fourth and fifth weeks of Lent. Most often, these passages (also known as the Scrutiny readings) are used only at the Masses attended by those preparing for Baptism. Last week, we heard the account of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:5-42), while this week, we have the healing of the man born blind (John 9:1-41), and next week, the resuscitation of Lazarus from the dead (John 11: 1-45). Walking with those in the O.C.I.A., I believe that each of these readings ask us to reflect on our past (the Third Sunday of Lent), and our ultimate future (the Fifth Sunday of Lent). Today, the Church invites us to reflect on our lives in the present.
The Gospels record Jesus giving sight to the blind numerous times, and today’s reading is no different. However, I think the first reading from the First Book of Samuel (16:1, 6,7, 10-13) gives us an insight as to how we are to receive this particular healing. “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.” Furthermore, in the ending of today’s Gospel, Jesus asks the man whose sight He restored, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” And the man answered, “Who is he sir, that I may believe in him.” And Jesus responded, “You have seen Him, and the one speaking with you is He.”
For those preparing for Baptism, and for all of us already baptized, the Church is inviting us to look at the world today, and at ourselves right now, through the eyes of God. We are called not only to name and number our sins, but also to name and at least be aware of the many times we cooperate with the Holy Spirit living within and among us as we care for our families, friends, the poor and vulnerable as we strive for the common good. For I believe we do more good during the course of the day than we sin (as you can see when it comes to theology, I am an optimist!).
As we continue to pray for those preparing for Baptism, let us join with them to scrutinize our daily lives. Let us begin to see through God’s lens and see Christ standing before us. Let us see Christ looking back at us when we are facing a mirror.
– Fr. Steve
