Homily: March 27, Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A Readings for RCIA

 If I were to summarise today’s gospel in one sentence, I would say, ‘being blind is not a sin but choosing to be blind is a sin’.

The blind man in today’s Gospel text has no name. St. John uses the Greek word ‘Anthropos’ which simply means ‘human being’. There is no mention of his ethnicity, nationality, or tribe, he is just a human person. He represents all of us. A blind Anthropos is a blind human, representing a blind humanity.

How are we blind?

In this healing story, there are a few groups of people suffering from blindness – physically or spiritually.

First, Jesus ‘saw a man blind from birth’. The man did not ask Jesus to heal him, but Jesus did it. Jesus made the move. God comes to us. God reaches out to humanity.

Being blind in those days was a curse, he was considered useless and worthless. He could not work except to beg. Yet, when Jesus told him to wash in the pool of Siloam, he obeyed and went without question, doubt, or expectation. He trusted and his eyes were opened.

Second group of people: the neighbours. They saw him as a blind person but could not see him as a healed person. They witnessed the miraculous change, but they rejected it. They chose not to believe that God would want to heal this worthless man. They chose to be blind to God’s merciful works.

Third group are the Pharisees. Instead of praising God who has shown mercy to humanity, they were focused on finding fault with Jesus. They used the Sabbath, the Holy day of God to turn it against God. 

They refused to accept what they saw. They knew that only God could perform miracles, yet they rejected it. They chose to be blind to God’s merciful works.

Not being able to see the world but believing in God’s mercy through other senses is a grace. Being able to see the world but choosing not to believe in God’s mercy is a sin.

That is why Jesus told the Pharisees, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”

The world sees physical impairment as the manifestation of sin, but the truth is, sin is the manifestation of spiritual defect.

As baptised Catholics in this country, we have access to the sacraments freely and easily, we can choose to receive God’s graces daily. Are we enjoying fully this privilege?

Do we see attending Mass as an obligation to God instead of appreciating it as God’s merciful gift to us?

St. Augustine said, “It is no advantage to be near the light if the eyes are closed.” We have the advantage and the privilege, but are we blind to it?

Being blind is not a sin but choosing to be blind is a sin.

Hundreds of catechumens will be baptised this Easter. The baptismal font is also called the pool of Siloam by the Oriental church fathers.

So, our Catechumens will be washing away their blindness and receiving the grace of spiritual sight. May we, who have already been baptised, recognise God and His mercy at work daily. Let us choose to see God in our life. Amen.