Fourth Sunday of Lent

The story in today’s gospel is really two stories, the story of the physical blindness of the man, which is cured, and the story of the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees, which remains.

The first story is straightforward, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." The second is a story of refusal to see.

Often we find ourselves unable to see past our habitual ways of thinking. We look, but see only what we expect to see. Sister Mary Rose deals with programs for mature adults. One day she used the bell curve to describe the shape of our life journey: infancy, growth, a time of fullness followed by diminishment. A familiar picture. But then she added another dimension. She added the curve of our spiritual growth and energy. What a difference! This curve, when it reaches the top, shoots on and up at a 45 degree angle, knowing no limit.

The group was thrilled and energized - smiles lit up their faces! They had a new vision. While still aware of their aging, they now saw that the journey of the spirit, that ‘real self’ which dwells within us, had only just begun.

"Father of mercy, you led the blind man to the kingdom of light through the gift of faith in your Son. Free us from false values that surround us and blind us. Set us firmly in your truth as the children of light forever. Amen"
- Prayer for the catechumens, fourth Sunday of Lent.

By Mary Buckley CSJ