Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 19, 2023 - 4th Sunday of Lent - A
[1 Sam 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Eph 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38,44]When Jesus heard that they had thrown [the man born blind] out, he found him and said: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I might believe in him?" Jesus said to him: You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he. He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him. [John]
Seeing and believing are intimately united in meaning in the Gospel According to John. The drama of today's gospel in which the man born blind gains physical sight and "faith sight" allows us to see the progression of his faith and the progression of blindness in the religious authorities who refused to believe. A similar link of seeing and believing will occur after Jesus' resurrection when he confronts the apostle Thomas with his [Thomas'] unbelief. [John 20:24-29].
In parishes around the world, those participating in the OCIA program of preparation to be baptized in the faith bring their stories of faith and how they came to believe. We who are cradle Catholics have much to learn from them. They often have to deal with friends and family or co-workers who find their decision to become Catholics difficult to accept. Some of the Catholic students at Texas Tech encounter this who staff a table outside the university student center with a banner that says, "ASK A CATHOLIC A QUESTION." But sometimes that encounter is the first step for the curious inquirer. Faith is where you find it, and we cradle Catholics tend to take ours for granted and do not see the struggles of those who come later to faith. Our "seeing" gets clouded by our certitude.
The man born blind who comes to faith can remind us of the precious gift of faith, and can even motivate us to speak to those who insist on remaining blind. Faith is a gift from God, but we can hold the gift in our hands and offer it to others. AMEN
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