The Man Born Blind (2023-03-19 - Sunday 11:30 am Mass)

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[Ver. 03 ]   2023. 03.19.  4^th Sunday Lent    ●● 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a ●● Psalm 23 ●● Ephesians 5:8-14 ●●  John 9:1-41 ●●    

Title:   The Man Born Blind (Sunday 11:30 am Mass)

[__00_]   Regarding perseverance and persistence, have you ever heard this quote from NBA basketball great Michael Jordan . Michael Jordan said, I've missed more than 9,000 shots lost almost 300 games I've been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and failed to take that game winning shot 26 times, I failed over and over again. That's why I succeed, which is the absolute polar opposite of the disciples who judged the loss of sight and blindness in the Gospel as the result of sinfulness that faults and sinfulness are to be blamed, and to be punished. But Jesus sees this weakness, this blindness as an occasion of God's grace, we can learn a great deal more often from our faults and sinfulness than we can from our success and achievements. I don't like that part. But that's the truth. We learn a lot more from our faults and sinfulness than from our achievements. In the 23rd Psalm we pray, The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. This does not mean that we will always be materially comfortable, but it does mean that the Lord is our light and our salvation (27^th psalm), and that there is nothing for us to be afraid of.

And that also, it reminds us that in this in this life, it's not like the NCAA basketball tournament. It's not single elimination. It's not when or go home. In fact, the blind man has been losing for years, and yet he is raised up as a new witness and disciple.

 

[__01__]  In the ancient world of our Lord and Savior, blindness was more than a challenging hurdle . A blind person was completely marginalized. No success or learning would have been expected of him or her.

          There was no way for a blind person to learn to read or write. This was the situation of the man born blind.  For this reason,  the Temple leaders are insulted, put off by his witness to Jesus and his wisdom and they say, “You were born totally in sin and you are trying to teach us.”  (John __).

          This is ironic because they were also – were also – born in sin, born in original sin.  We are all born in original sin and need baptism.

          They do not recognize this. They are trying to throw him out of the synagogue.

 [__02__]   I’d like to connect this Gospel to the 3 Lenten disciplines and to “blindness” or “darkness” as an advantage ….

          Jesus says that he come so that those who see might become blind. I’d like to touch on the advantage of  blindness/darkness as it relates to the 3 Lenten disciplines of love/almsgiving,  prayer, and fasting.

 [__03.01__]  [1^st]  First the advantage of darkness when it comes to LOVE

 [__03.02__]       In order to make decisions based on true love, do I love only what I can see, touch, perceive ?

          For example, do I love – not LOVE – my neighbor – my spouse – my classmates, siblings, co-workers, boss, friends – only based on appearances? Here I do not mean only “physical appearance”, but also the appearance of their status, the appearance of their affection for me.

          Do I only love those who love me or reciprocate and help me to “have a nice day”?

          It would be better if I were blind.

 [__03.03__]       Samuel – the prophet – in the 1^st reading – benefits from some “blindness” rather than vision in his decision about the next king of Israel.

          Our 1^st reading is about the selection and signing up of David as the surprising “first round draft pick” of God to be the next king of Israel.

David is not visible, not at home, when Samuel arrives; also NOT on anyone’s “recruiting list”.  To use an NCAA March Madness term, David was the “Cinderella” player or underdog choice. No one would have “seen” him coming. Like FDU vs. Purdue ? 

This caused distress and darkness for Samuel who was King Saul's advisor and prophet Samuel has to do this recruiting and search away from King Saul's prying eyes and vision and off camera. At First Samuel doesn't

 to select any new king – thinking Saul may change his ways. But, Samuel is later convinced but wants to select based on obvious physical characteristics and “seniority”. For example, the first eldest son – Eliab - appears to be best first round draft pick.

          But Samuel is told by God: “Man looks at the appearance but God looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:__)

          And, so Samuel is led to select the youngest and apparently “less able bodied” David.

          But, David was the right choice – the loving choice - because Samuel did not look only at appearances.

          Do I – do you – focus on appearances when it comes to “love” and” decisions” ?

[__04__]   [2^nd ]  the advantage of darkness when it comes to PRAYER and “DISMISSAL” or REJECTION.

          The man born blind was dismissed and rejected for his whole life due to his “pre-existing condition” of blindness.

          He was desperate position as a result of his blindness. He cannot learn, socialize.

          But, he is used to this!

          This type of rejection does not, as we say, “blindside” him.

          Have you ever been blindsided by rejection?

          When I feel “rejected”, I am tempted – we are all tempted – to look at the appearances especially to focus perhaps on how it affects our visible “status” or standing with others.

          This rejection – or this “blindsiding” was historical fact for some early Christians who found themselves themselves in the difficult position of being between “Jesus as their new rock” and “the hard place of rejection” by the synagogue community.

          One commentator made an important distinction – we read the words that “the Jews”  rejected Jesus.

          What is translated as “Jews” is the Greek word Ἰουδαῖος (ioudaios)? The word obviously connects to Ἰουδαία (ioudaia) – “Judea” the geographic area in the southern part of Israel and closer to the Temple.

          It is true that Jesus’ mission was more successful in the north in Galilee. It also true that many Jewish people did accept Christ – the apostles were Jewish, Joseph and Mary. The blind man was Jewish. Jesus was Jewish.

          The blind man – now healed is invited to pray in a new way – to Jesus as God incarnate and to receive a new source of light and not to be discouraged by the rejection which “blindsides” him.

          It makes practical sense to as one business writer observed: “cultivating silence isn’t just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or tweets.  Real sustained silence, the kind that facilitates clear and creative thinking, quiets inner chatter as well as outer.”  (Harvard Business Review, The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time, by Justin Zorn and Leigh Marz, March 17, 2017)

          But, Jesus wishes us to unite ourselves to him especially when we are rejected by others whether online or in person. As we read in Matthews Gospel:

          “when you pray go to your room and pray to your father in secret and the father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matthew 6:__)

[__05__]   [3^rd]  the advantage of darkness when it comes to Lenten fasting.

          At first, the choice to give up something – whether that be giving up “screen time” or some other entertainment, giving up a favorite food or drink or form of caffeine, at first the fasting may make the object loom larger as a temptation or make it more visible..

          But, after some time, is it not true that the temptation can become less obvious, more obscure. In other words, we see thing we are tempted by more clearly, even though we are not consuming it.  There’s advantage to distance and darkness.

          We also give alms. pray and fast during the 40 days of Lent not give up what is bad, but to say no in everyday ways to things that are good and then to learn to say YES or NO to things that are more important and to do so not for our own comfort but with our focus on Jesus as the light of the world.   [__END__]