1 Sam. 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps. 23:1-6; Eph. 5:8-14; Jn. 9:1-41
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This is the central question Jesus is asking of us today. Laetare Sunday brings back a sense of celebration for our Lenten journey. It is a time to reflect halfway through Lent on our spiritual journey, how our eyes are open to the presence of God removing our blindness to the work of the Holy Spirit, our awakening to sin, and our call to conversion. It is a time to say, “I do believe, Lord.” Do we believe God is present in the current COVID-19 pandemic preparing us for a greater conversion as a family of faith, a country and the world? Church history tells us that during the greatest crisis is when some of the greatest miracles have happened including all the apparitions of our Blessed Mary.
The gospel is rich in meaning beginning with the first question asked of Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” This shatters the central belief of sin of the time, bad things happen to sinners and good things to good people. We know that to be true in our own lives when we see the innocent suffer and the guilty live in prosperity. The response however is more profound for us, “it was so the works of God may be made visible through him.” We all sin and we all have an opportunity to look into our lives and allow God to do his works through us in good times and in bad. Every situation is an opportunity to receive the blessing of God and be a sign of light in the darkness of the world. Yes, this COVID-19 is an opportunity for the works of God to be made visible through him when we turn to him “seek and you will find”.
Jesus “spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his (blind man) eyes”. We are created out of the dust and water of the earth and Jesus actions is to be a sign of our new recreation in him after the fall of Adam and Eve. He sends him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam “which means Sent”. The Pool of Siloam is fed by the Gihon river considered to be the waters coming from the Garden of Eden. These waters were used for bathing to remove the sins of the people during Jesus time just as Mary was required to bathe after her time of delivery. In his obedience to Jesus he gains his sight. Today we are sent to the sacrament of confession to be washed clean of our sins. God seeks to remove our blindness to sin during this time of Lent and crisis and return to the light of truth.
The people who knew him see the miracle and yet do not accept that it is the same man. The evidence is before them but their blindness comes from believing only in themselves. The man answers “I am”. His “I am” can only be seen in scripture when Moses asks God “who do I say sent me” and God responds to tell them “I Am” sent you. This is the moment of truth. The man no longer blind uses the same words as God’s name to express his identity. He is now a new creation in God as we are in baptism and the reason to celebrate not only Laetare Sunday but every day of life. Lent is our recreation in God’s image more perfect by our love and following his commandments. “I am born again in spirit and in truth”.
The man born blind now gives testimony to his new creation in his response to the Pharisees. First the Pharisees are quick to judge based on their own practices of the Law. They judge now within the parameters of the Law saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath”. Again, the blindness to deny what is in front of them and trust in themselves. The man with new sight gives testimony not only to his physical miracle but to his spiritual rebirth in answering the Pharisee “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from…that God does not listen to sinners…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.” He is now the “teacher” of the Pharisees who remain blind before the miracle before them. We can see the COVID-19 pandemic as simply another freak act of nature or something greater in our conversion.
Jesus finds the man and asks him to confirm his faith with the question, “Do you believe in the Son of Man”. The man answers “I do believe, Lord.” The man then worshiped him. Lent is meant to awaken us not only to our sin but to our need to worship in spirit and in truth. Coming to church as an act of obedience to the Law is similar to the conviction of the Pharisees. We miss the miracle before us. We look only to what we accept and remain blind. Our sin remains for lack of faith. Jesus comes “into this world for judgment” to remove our blindness and return us to a holy place, sanctified by his blood. How may we remove our blindness and receive the gift of sight? The church is open to the sacrament of penance and now is the acceptable time to go to confession and be washed clean of sin so our eyes may be opened to his presence. Let us go forth, sent to live in the light of Jesus Christ with eyes open to the revelation of truth in every circumstance, no matter how small or pandemic. Jesus, Joseph and Mary pray for us.
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