Homily (Reflection) for the Fourth
Sunday of Lent (A) (26th March, 2017) on the Gospel
Ps 22 (R. v.1)
Eph 5:8-14;
Jn 9:1-41 or 1.6-9.13-17.34-38.
Topic: Christians and God’s Ways.
In today’s gospel we see one of outright rejections of Jesus by the
Pharisees. Even the miracles He performed that would have led them to the
knowledge that He is from God could not achieve that, cf. v 16. Jesus’ coming
into the world as man is for us to have life, and have it abundantly, cf. Jn 10:10. God who spoke to our
ancestors by the prophets in many and various ways came to speak to us by his
Son (cf. Heb 1:1-2), the light of
the world, (cf. Jn 8:12. 9:5).
The
gospel according to John reads:
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the
world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not
accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the
power to become children of God (Jn
1:10-12).
The Pharisees in today’s gospel said “… we are
disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man,
we do not know where he comes from”. One may ask whether the Moses they said
that they were his disciples was the same Moses who spoke with Jesus during His
transfiguration, cf. Matt 17:3-6.
Again Jesus said to the crowd: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law
and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Matt 5:17). The law refers to the five
books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
The Pharisees rejected Jesus in today’s gospel because
He cured the man born blind on a Sabbath. They fail to recognise that the Son
of man is lord of the Sabbath, cf. Matt
12:8; Mk 2:28; Lk 6:5. Some Christians today like the Pharisees do think
that they are to direct God on what to do, when to do it, where to do it, how
to do it, and even to whom and through whom to act. The prophet Isaiah rightly
wrote “… as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:9). One of the major problems rocking us Christians is that
many have refused to be under God who is our Lord and Master, cf. Matt 7:21. Jesus queries, “Why do you
call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Lk 6:46) We need to understand God better. We ought to follow Jesus
to have the light of life, cf. Jn 8:12.
A man told about a trip he took with his little boy,
two and a half years old. It was the first time the father and the boy had been
away by themselves – just the two of them. The first night they spent in a
hotel, the father moved his bed close to the little boy’s and when they were
both tucked in, he turned off the light. After a few minutes, a little voice
said: “It sure is dark, isn’t it?” “Yes,” said the father, “it’s pretty dark,
but everything is all right.” There was silence for a few more minutes, and
then a little hand reached over and took the father’s hand. “I’ll just hold
your hand,” said the little boy, “in case you get scared.”[1]
As we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Lent, it is
pertinent to examine ourselves to see to what extent we are God’s children. The
First Letter of Saint John reads, “By this it may be seen who are the children
of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not
of God, nor he who does not love his brother” (1Jn 3:10). In the gospel we read: “He who believes in him is not
condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the only Son of God” (Jn 3:18). It is to those “… who received
him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (Jn 1:12), a special gift from God
himself, 1Jn 3:1. Let us live as the
servants of God that we are, cf. 1Pt 2:16.
Bible Readings: Rom 9:6-18; 11:11-24; Phil 2:1-18; 1Jn 2:7-17;
3:1-24; 1Pt 2:11-17.
Thought for today: Do you accept God and His ways?
Let us pray:
Merciful Father, as we celebrate your love for us
sinners, give us the grace to accept you and your ways always even when they
are not in line with what we want – Amen.
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