Dear brothers and sisters
The readings of this fourth Sunday of lent invite us to reflect on how God sees us and how He brings us from darkness into light. In the first reading from the book of 1st Samuel the Prophet Samuel is sent by God to anoint a new king from the family of Jesse. When Samuel sees Jesse’s sons, he immediately thinks the strongest and most impressive one must be God’s choice. But God corrects him and says: “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God chooses David, the youngest and least expected son. In human eyes he was insignificant, but in God’s eyes his heart was ready. The reading reminds us that God does not judge us by our appearance, status, or achievements. God looks deeper, He looks at the heart. Sometimes we also judge others by what we see externally, but God invites us to learn to see as He sees.
The second reading Ephesians 5: 8-14 continues this theme by speaking about light and darkness. St Paul reminds the Christians: “once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Before encountering Christ, we often live-in spiritual darkness, confusion, sin, selfishness, or indifference. But when Christ enters our lives, He gives us light so that we may live with goodness, justice, and truth. Lent is precisely the season when the Church calls us to move from darkness to light, through prayer, repentance, and conversion.
This message reaches its deepest meaning in the Gospel John 9: 1-41, where Jesus heals the man born blind. The disciples ask Jesus whose sin caused the blindness: his own or his parents. But Jesus shifts the focus. He says that the works of God will be revealed through him. Then Jesus heals the man and gives him sight. But something interesting happens in the story. The man who was physically blind gradually comes to see spiritually. He recognizes Jesus more and more. At first, he calls Him “the man called Jesus”. Later he says Jesus is a prophet. Finally, he proclaims his faith and worships Him. Meanwhile, the Pharisees, who physically can see, become spiritually blind. They refuse to accept the miracle because their hearts are closed. The Gospel shows us a powerful truth: physical sight is not the same as spiritual sight. A person can see with the eyes but still be blind in the heart. This raises an important question for us today: where are we blind in our own lives? Sometimes we may be blind to: our own sins and weaknesses, the suffering of people around us, God’s presence in our daily lives, the dignity and goodness in others. Lent is a time when Jesus wants to touch our eyes and open them, just as He did for the blind man. He opens our eyes when: we listen to His word, when we examine our conscience, and when we receive forgiveness in confession and when we practice charity and compassion.
When Christ opens our eyes, we begin to see differently. We see people with love, life with gratitude, and God working even in difficulties. Brothers and sisters, today Jesus tells us again: “I am the light of the world”. If we allow His light to enter our hearts, our darkness will disappear. And like man in the Gospel, we too will be able to say with faith “Lord, I believe”. As we encounter our Lenten journey, let us ask the Lord for three graces: a heart that sees as God sees, the courage to live as children of light, and eyes opened by faith to recognize Jesus in our lives.
Amen.