Fourth Sunday of Lent (Based of Year A Readings)

Today's Mass Readings

Here we are in this parish, preparing for the parish mission. For the last month I have nothing else in my mind but the mission as our parishes prepare great renewal. And so I was taken back when I read about a movement in the Anglican Church in Britain where some atheists want the Church to provide them “de-baptism” certificates. They object that they were baptised an infants and they now want their name erased from the baptism book. Of course, the Anglican Church has said that a historical record cannot be erased. So the secretary of the movement, John Hunt has come up with his own home made “de-baptism” certificate. It reads, "I, John Geoffrey Hunt, having been subjected to the rite of Christian baptism in infancy... hereby publicly revoke any implications of that rite. I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin." Although, most often such movements are more anti-organised religion than anti-God, it is not uncommon that more and more people are becoming professed unbelievers. Here in the US such people are called “Noners,” as in professing no religion. The world continues to be the battle ground for Godliness and godlessness. In the Bible, this contrast between Godliness and godlessness is described as the struggle light and darkness. There was darkness before God said, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Because darkness was associated with the chaos that existed before creation, it has been associated with Evil. Hence, both in the Old and New Testament, light is the manifestation of God’s nature and everything that is good, including life. In fact, it is the source of life (Eccl. 11.7). “Seeing the light” is often used as a synonym for “being alive,” or “being born.” In the New Testament, Christians are called by Jesus to be the “Light of the world” (Mt. 5:14) and are addressed as “Sons of the Light” (Luke 16:8). Darkness in the New Testament is caused due to two reasons: it could be a natural condition of a person or it may be the result of turning away from the light (Jn 3:19-20). We find both these examples in the gospel reading today.

That brings us to the gospel passage today. The incident that John narrates is not a simple account of healing. It is an account of people who are physically in darkness and yet they see, and the account of those who are physically in the light but really are in darkness. There are those who are naturally blind and there are those who have turned away from the light. The blind man comes to Jesus to have his sight restored. But apart from his sight, it is his faith, it is his life that is restored in a slow process. He really is in the light. He sees and he sees. He sees things but he also sees the light of God and the life that God brings. In contrast, the Pharisees have physical sight but they really are in darkness and like people in today’s worked deliberately turn away from the light. They are so blind with prejudice, so blind with hatred, so blind at the thought of losing power, so blind to a new message, so blind to Jesus good works, so, so blind, that they cannot feel happy about a good thing that has happened. They are so blind that they so not even recognize a miracle. They are so blind that they miss God.

I would like to offer three practical implications from today’s readings. I would like to turn to Paul letter to the Ephesians to draw these implications.

1. Paul brings the themes of light and darkness very close to our own lives. He makes two important observations. First, he says, “You were once in darkness but now you are in the light of the Lord” (Eph 5:8). Our normal experience is that it is difficult to be totally in the light and we would hate being totally in the dark. For most of us, perhaps, our lives are a mixture of sin and holiness, light and darkness, good and bad. Some of us may have more light and some may see more darkness. Today, I am going to suggest that we pick one area of darkness. By this I mean one area of sin or godlessness that, with God’s help, I can transform into an area of light. For example, it could be that I am very judgemental, or I that do not share my wealth with the poor, or that I harbour revenge, or that I am lazy with regard to my relationship with God, or that I am lustful.

What if I suggested that during this parish mission the Lord is calling us in a special way to give us the strength and the grace to deliberately move toward the light. I am inviting you for the mission so that just like the blind man in the gospel reading, God will touch our lives more powerfully than God has ever done before.

2. If someone asked you, if you were in the light, what would your answer be? I guess, the question I am posing here is, how do I know that I am in the light? Paul has a very simple answer to that question. He says, “light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph 5:9). To the extent that our lives produce goodness, to the extent that our relationships are right, to the extent that we are led by the truth of the gospel, to that extent we are in the light. This week, let each of us examine our lives so that we can proclaim ourselves and children of the light (Eph 5:8).

Once again I am suggesting that we make the parish mission an expression of our striving to be in the light. This mission will challenge us to goodness, righteousness, and truth. May we come to Jesus, the Light.

3. Paul takes us a step further in the conflict between light and darkness. He is not satisfied with merely basking in the light. He wants followers of Jesus to “expose the works of darkness (Eph 5:11). What do we do when people want to “de-baptize?” Paul is suggesting that when we confront injustice, hatred, culture of death, greed, and impurity that we confront it. Light must shed darkness. This means that we become active Christians. What good is a Christian that does not shed the light of Christ?

Once again, consider the mission a personal invitation from Jesus to become a meaningful, powerful, and radical witness of Christ in the world.

In the Eucharist we receive the One who said to us, “I am the light of the world.” As we receive Jesus in communion we pray that Jesus the light will shed the darkness within us and help us be light to the world. Like the blind man let us allow Jesus to touch as so that we may see. Amen

- Fr. Satish Joseph