4th Sunday of Lent: Year A, 2017

May Christ, the light of the world, illumine your  mind not only to  perceive what is God's will for you at any given moment of your life but also to know how to be docile in fulfilling it. Happy Sunday!

+John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

                                 (Samuel 16,1.4.6-7.10-13; Ephesians 5,8-14; John 9,1-41: 4^th Sunday of Lent: Year A, 2017)

            In order to understand the significance of  the episode of the cure of the man born blind we need to call back  to mind what Jesus affirmed of himself in John 8,12:  I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. This miracle also bears out what is stated in the prologue to the Gospel of John about Jesus: (He is) the true light that lightens every one coming into the world (John 1,9). The cure of the man blind from birth appears like a sign, a proof and confirmation that Jesus is indeed the light. He gives the eyes of the body the capacity to see material things and endows the spirit the capacity to penetrate the supernatural world with the light of faith. Just as the man born blind acquired the power to see from the water of the pool of Siloam; in the same way every one baptized receives from Jesus the capacity to welcome the light of salvation.

The cure itself is not a restoration, for the man was born blind. It is more of a new creation. The ritual or process of cure was simple. Jesus spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay. Jesus, who is sent by God, sends the man to the pool named One who has been sent (Siloam). There, the waters wash away his blindness; by means of the waters he is made a new creation. How was this miracle received? How did people react to it? The episode shows different ways in which people reacted to Jesus’ cure of the person born blind. The first reaction to the cure comes from the neighbours who knew him as a begging blind man. They were astonished at his transformation and they inquired as to its source. The cured born blind man gives a report of the events that occurred along with the name of Jesus as the healer. The next reaction came from the Pharisees who questioned the cured born blind man. They were divided on their opinion of the righteousness of one who heals on the Sabbath. They, stubbornly, refuse to see or believe, despite the evidence before their eyes. The Pharisees, to avoid having to acknowledge Jesus’ divinity, rejected the only possible explanation for the miracle. They negated the evidence. They lack the disposition of leaving themselves be illumined and the sincerity required in search of truth. The reasons or causes, on the part of the Pharisees, for locking themselves up in their blindness, and this their rejection of the light of Christ can be seen to be three. The first is prejudice: They had it stamped in their mind that Jesus could not be the Messiah and, therefore, superior to Moses, Abraham and the prophets, for this would not agree the idea of the Messiah they had in mind. The second is selfish interest: This is nothing other than the fear of loosing their position of power and prestige. Jesus was indeed a threat to their selfishness. The third is presumption:  They believed to be seeing well, of being in the right position while they were indeed blind and guided blind people. The real blind person is the one who thinks that he sees and knows everything but never subjects himself or his reasoning to thorough scrutiny. Prejudice, selfish interest and presumption are also reasons of incredulity among people today.

The reactions of the parents of the blind from birth are awkward. They were afraid to accord any type of claim to Jesus lest they lose their standing in the religious community. Unlike his parents, the beneficiary of the miracle, the born blind man, boldly proclaims that his cure is evidence that Jesus is from God. He progressed from simply knowing the name of the one who cured him to professing that Jesus is a prophet, then to proclaiming that he comes from God. The final stage in his profession of faith occurs when he encountered Jesus a second time. When Jesus reveals his identity to him, the one whose eyes have been opened attested to his faith in Jesus and accorded to him the kind of reverent adoration that belongs to God. 
    What is the implication of the episode of the cure of the man born blind for the Christian of today? The Christian is thankful for the illumination from God he got through his faith. Baptism is the sacrament of this illumination. Baptism first of all plants faith firmly in the soul. This faith disposes the soul to welcome and accept supernatural truths and realities. Therefore, without faith there is not even an iota of illumination. It is, therefore, necessary to be informed about faith. First and foremost, though faith is a gift from God, the Christian must work for its increase, deepening, maturation, progression and perfection. The search for firm possession of faith is on-going. However, it is to be borne in mind that search for faith does not exclude difficulties, trials and moments of darkness and uncertainties. What will be helpful to us are the lessons from today’s gospel: assiduous and docile listening to the word of God and allowing ourselves to be illumined and guided by the light of Christ. There has to be a movement from seeing with the light of faith to doing guided by faith. The second point about faith is that if God, through Christ, draws us out of darkness into light and gives us faith it is in order that we will be able to conduct our lives like the children of light. This is what Paul teaches us in today’s 2nd reading. The Christian will have to exhibit in his/her life complete goodness, righteousness and truth. These qualities are merely symbolic of the complete transformation of character this light can effect. Goodness is a quality of moral excellence, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5,22). Although righteousness is a divine attribute, humans share in it as long as they live their lives in harmony with God’s plan. Truth connotes sincerity, genuineness, the absence of sham or pretence. These three qualities describe a life lived openly in the light that comes from Christ. The third important fact about the gift of faith is that it often gives rise to opposition and discomfort. The case of the person born blind of today’s gospel is typical; his parents did not even support him; he was expelled from the community, marginalized and isolated. Let us therefore, be thankful today as we celebrate the Eucharist for the gift of faith and the illumination it brings about in our lives. May we also ask for the grace, courage to bear witness to this faith and light of Christ when the occasion comes about in our family, committee of friends, colleagues circles. May we not follow the example of the Pharisees, nor that of the parents of the person born blind but that of the cured born blind man in his courageous profession of faith in Christ Jesus.  Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye 

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