19 March 2023 – 4th Sunday of Lent (Year A)

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

Today we have this long text of this blind man at Siloam. And as we look through that journey of how the blind man’s sight was restored, we can see that movement towards darkness and light. A journey that each one of us takes in our journey of discovery of who God is in our lives. We may have been blinded by the ways of how we perceive things but gradually after some time we come back to that experience of God and we see God leading us towards that light.

And that is an invitation, dear friends, for us to be drawn into that light which Christ illumines in our hearts.

And as we look at the candidates of today, those who are preparing themselves towards the baptism at Easter, it is the same journey of blindness that they too encounter and gradually somehow through human experiences, through God’s intervention, through individuals, they have drawn themselves into the light that God wants to shine in their lives.

And as we as baptised Christians, dear friends, we too are called to take a re-look at ourselves especially during this time of Lent as they make their journey towards Easter. Because as we are reminded of our own journey as they take their step forward, we too need to see how our blindness gradually gets removed and we allow Christ to be seen in our lives once again.

And the way that God sees is very different than the way we see things. And that is why the First Reading of today we see Samuel go into the house of Jesse to look at so many different sons he had and finally he makes that choice and anoints his youngest son because what we see, dear friends, is the externals but what God sees is the intentions and the motivations of our hearts.

And as we look at the Gospel once again, we see there are many areas or many different different stages from the Scribes, from the Pharisees, to the Jews, to the blind man himself, of how even though sometimes that experience of God has been given to us, we doubt, we question and sometimes our knowledge of God or understanding becomes an obstacle for us to experience the love and the mercy of God in our lives.

And that is why, dear friends, the Second Reading today invites us:-

You were darkness once but you now are light in the Lord. Be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth.

And as we move towards this time of Easter, dear friends, we rejoice because God has made a choice for us, God has allowed Himself to enter into our darkness and leads us and brings us towards the light. And we must allow that light of Christ to shine in and through us.

And as we look at the journey that each one of them has taken, the journey of darkness towards light, it is a journey and it a process of change that we must embrace not only when we take that journey towards baptism but constantly each and every day to look at the motivations and desires of your heart that we are attuned to the heart of God and allow God to lead us where we ought to be.

Always trusting that the Lord will lead us forward. Always trusting the Lord wills what is best for us.

And the Responsorial Psalm so beautifully says:-

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

If we are able to put our faith and trust in this God who leads us into the pastures of His love, can we follow that Good Shepherd who invites us to a restored live in Him? A life of truthfulness, a life of goodness, a life of mercy and a life that is filled with God’s spirit?

And today as we look at the video today, on the Lenten campaign, it shows this family even though it is a little bit in Tamil, but the word that is being expressed the challenges and difficulties of life that Sumathi experiences where they live together (perhaps with the three generations, with the father, with the children, with herself), with so much of obstacles and challenges of life, we see at some point we see a glimpse of joy, a glimpse of hope in her eyes because she has been touched by the love of God, through the people who ministered to her, especially in Permatang Tinggi.

So today we praise and thank God. We praise and thank God because God has chosen each and every one of us to move towards that light. The question is during this time of Lent, are we willing to be led towards that light and to be received into that embrace of God’s love?

As we look at the video, let us also be reminded of so much of plight of people all around us, where we have chosen to be blinded, where we have chosen to not look.

And let us pray that during this time of Lent, that our hearts may be restored and renewed to see again with the help and guidance of Jesus that we will be sensitive to the needs and the plights of people around us, especially for those who are in darkness. Because if we have received the light, we have the responsibility to share that light of Christ to the people around us. And for this grace and awareness of His love, we pray.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 19 March 2023