Fourth Sunday of Lent

Forth Sunday of Lent

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032617.cfm.

In the story of the man born blind, we see a number of people reacting negatively to a miracle of healing. We might wonder why no one sees what Jesus is doing. But our own reactions to the wonders of God's world can be similarly obscured. Our faith calls us to learn to see the wholeness that God sees.

Many people have laser eye surgery to correct vision and reverse conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma. It's become quite commonplace. I even heard of a woman who took her young dog to the vet because he was having trouble seeing. The vet asked her about bringing the dog to an ophthalmologist. She had no idea such a specialty existed, but before long the dog was having a laser procedure to relieve the pain of glaucoma, and his sight returned. The advantages in medical technology continue to improve the quality of life for people and even their pets, but we rarely regard these advances as miracle.

Visual sight is a powerful metaphor for our attitudes towards the world around us and the people who come into our lives every day. Although our medical technology is far advanced from the time of Jesus, our spiritual blindness hasn't always changed.

In our first reading for today we hear of the anointing of David as Israel's first king, Samuel is ready to anoint one of the handsome and powerful sons of Jesse. He never suspects that God's anointed would be the youngest, the least, the shepherd boy from the hills. God tells him he's judging according to human, not divine, standards. Too often we prefer good looks, celebrity, and power to humility, virtue, and care for the common good when we're choosing our leaders. Our media-driven world has made us far too reliant on the superficial and the sensational.

In the Gospel for today, few people recognize the healing that's at the center of the story. Jesus heals because life and healing are his very nature. The man who is healed moves from physical to spiritual sight. But nearly everyone else misses the point.

The disciples are puzzling over the sin that must be at the heart of the man's blindness. The religious leaders see only a threat to their power and status quo. Even the man's parents prefer to disown their son rather than risk trouble with the authorities.

We can get so get so caught up in our own priorities, our anxieties, and our various ideologies that we miss the wonder of the world around us: the loved ones in our lives, the glories of the changing seasons and the natural world, the goodness  and kindness that people show to one another on a daily basis. Blind to these things, we see  only the darkness and the negativity conjured up by our fears.

God sees healing, wholeness, and life. God dwells in the divine light and shares that light with all of us. What  will it take for us to open our eyes to this reality? As we move through the end of the Lenten season into Holy Week and Easter, we might heed the words of St. Paul when he says, "Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth."

We should spend today looking for signs of God's love and mercy in the people we meet, in the natural world, and, yes, even in the daily news. Goodness is there if we open our eyes to it.

As we approach the Eucharist today, we are reminded that our eyes see bread and wine, but our faith knows the Body & Blood of our Lord. May our participation in this miracle open our eyes to God's presence in the world.

Humility

Readings for Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031417.cfm,

Jesus was careful to recognize that certain people were appointed to lead and direct others. But at times those leaders were at fault because of their pride, vanity, and bad example. Therefore, Jesus says the people should not imitate them.

We see Jesus pointing out the faults of the scribes and Pharisees. They were quick to put heavy burdens on ordinary people and give them no help (or good example) on fulfilling those burdens. For example, they have made fasting a basis for holiness when the people could never match the Pharisees' twice weekly fasts. Also, some of the Pharisees paraded around, seeking to be noticed, and to receive praise and adulation for how great they were in their religious observances. They placed themselves on a higher level then the ordinary folks they were called to serve.

Jesus was the opposite. Jesus was humble and urging humility in his followers. Too many leaders loved titles and honor, causing them to consider themselves better than anyone else.

In the end, Jesus insisted that the one who is great must be servant just as Jesus was. He was the Son of God, and yet He was a foot washer. The greatest virtue of a leader with authority is humility. We recall Pope Francis' many addresses to his own cardinals and bishops, the pastors of the people, urging them to be true shepherds and avoid acting as though they are anything other than servants and shepherds.

First Sunday of Lent

The Scripture Readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030517.cfm.

What does the devil look like? Does he carry a pitchfork and have horns and a long tail? Is he the image that Flip WIlson's Geraldine made famous with her comment: "The devil made me do it"? Or is he a reality with whom we need to deal in our journey with God toward eternal life? Pope Francis seems to believe in the latter.

The devil, as a force for evil , plays a major role in today's first reading and Gospel. In each instance, the devil appeals to human weakness and offers false promises. In Jesus, we have the power, through grace, to withstand the lies and temptations of the devil.

Mankind is created from the earth but enjoys the breath of life. Thus, humans are living beings intended by God for life to the full. We are earthly but filled with the breath of life.

God blesses Adam and Eve with his protective word to not eat of the tree of knowledge. God gave his command not to limit, but to protect, human freedom. God cares for his creatures.

The devil, who cares nothing about the welfare of humans and is the "Father of Lies," says that by eating of the fruit  of the tree of knowledge, humans will gain knowledge, the knowledge of what is good and what is evil; something God jealously wants to reserve for himself.

The consequences were dramatic. They see everything - God, themselves, and nature, in a different light. They now know evil and sin. And to know implies being responsible for what is known.

St. Paul clearly says that death entered the world through the first man's sin, but grace and life through the obedience of Jesus. Man's disobedience led to death and sin. Christ's obedience leads to life and good. Christ, because he is divine as well as human can, and did, make the perfectly obedient response to the Father. Thus, he reversed the disobedience of humankind.

In St. Matthew's gospel we hear of the temptations of the devil towards Jesus. The temptations are worded as conditional causes - IF you are the Son of God. The devil does not believe that Jesus is the son of God. The devil does not have faith, which is required to believe that Jesus is who he says he is.

The first temptation is to turn stones into bread. A good thing to do, but the nourishment that Jesus brings is found in the Word of God, and in obedience to that word.

The second temptation asks Jesus to prove his divinity by throwing himself off the parapet of the Temple and, thus, put his life on the line. Jesus will indeed put his life on the line by obediently laying down his life in the crucifixion. Jesus will die because he is the son of God, not in order to prove it. Jesus remains obedient to his mission. The third temptation has to do with power and prestige, wealth, and domination. Jesus makes it clear that his mission is to be found in humility and service. Israel, as a nation, had failed in these areas; Jesus does not.

Lent is a time for us to follow our call to prove that we are creatures filled with God's breath of life and to live obediently. Because we are baptized, we have the life of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Jesus won the victory for us. We need not - and, in reality, cannot - reverse the effects of evil and sin in our lives by our own efforts. But, then again, we don't have to.

Lent is a time to "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."