03-31-2014, 09:22 AM
RECOGNIZING JESUS AS THE LIGHT OF OUR LIVES
SCRIPTURE READINGS:1 SM 16:1.6-7.10-13; EPH 5:8-14; JN 9:1-41 (OR >< 9:1.6-9.13-17.34-38)
http://www.universalis.com/20140330/mass.htm
The world is blinded in so many ways. It cannot see clearly. The world is looking for happiness but seeking the wrong places and offering illusory pursuits. Like Samuel we are not so discerning at times. We tend to judge things superficially. Indeed, we think that if we have power, money, status, popularity and position, we will be happy in life. The truth is that such things rob us of our freedom, anxiety and peace. Powerful people are always afraid of their enemies, and they have many. Rich people are always preoccupied with growing their money and then worrying about who to give to, so that their hard earned money is not squandered away. People of status and position have no freedom and privacy to do what they like. It is like the poor man who found a priceless pearl, but lost his peace and safety because people were after his life as they wanted to have the pearl as well. Indeed, the prophet puts it aptly, “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Similarly, those who live in sin or in adultery may appear to be enjoying the pleasures of life. But they are hurting within because they will have to bear the consequences of their sins. Their health could be destroyed because of promiscuity and excessive smoking, drinking and eating. Their personal lives could be destroyed because their relationships with their spouse and children will become strained. Most of all, they have no peace in their hearts. Indeed, their temporary pleasures are marred by the fear they live with of their crimes and sins being discovered one day. They have no peace of mind except a taunting and tormenting conscience, especially in their quiet moments.
Why are we blind? What prevents us from seeing? Like the blind man, we could be blind simply because we are ignorant. He was born blind, that is, ignorant because of Original Sin. We have lost the preternatural gift of infused knowledge. If we are sincerely ignorant of the truth, God will forgive us. For this is what Jesus said, “If you were (blind), you would not be guilty.” So on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they were doing.” So for those ignorant of the Lord and of the truth, they could be forgiven.
There are others who are blind for fear of being isolated and marginalized. This is the case of the parents of the blind man. They were not ready to stand up for their son or for Jesus because they feared the religious leaders. “His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’” Rejection and alienation from the bigger group, especially our community and support group prevent us from standing up for our beliefs. Indeed, many Catholics are ashamed to be recognized as Catholics for fear that they might be ridiculed and excluded from their social circles.
Still, there are others who are blind because they live in sin due to weakness. Because of sin, many of us are not able to confront the truth about ourselves. We cannot cope with our weaknesses and our tendency to sin, especially in the flesh. As a consequence, when we go deeper into the state of sin, we are unable to see the truth about ourselves. We begin to rationalize and justify our sins even, like the Pharisees in the gospel.
However, the worst sin among all sins is the sin of Pride. This sin blocks our ability to see the truth. Like the religious leaders in the gospel, the sin of pride is not due to ignorance but simply the refusal to see. In the gospel, we read how the Pharisees were finding ways and means to reject the fact that the blind man was healed by Jesus. They tried to make him deny the truth. Not only did they put pressure on him to reject Jesus but also on others so that they could perpetuate their lie. Their pride prevented them from being open to the reality of the situation and Jesus who healed the blind man. They were not humble enough to learn. So pride is a deliberate sin. A person who chooses not to see is guilty and commits the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the Pharisees, “’Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains.”
As we enter the second part of the season of Lent, we are called to recognize that only Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd, can lead us out of the valley of darkness by healing us of our blindness. St Paul exhorts us all, “Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Indeed, Jesus is the Light of the World. He has come to enlighten us of the truth, about ourselves and of God. He is the way, the truth and the life. If we want to find truth and love and life, then to Jesus, our Good Shepherd we must come.
But how can we come to recognize Him as our saviour? It is a process. The blind man began by searching for the truth. Because of his sincerity, Jesus came to find Him. Initially, he did not know Jesus but he encountered Jesus through His mercy and compassion. Touched by His love and mercy, he came to realize that Jesus was surely a holy man, a prophet and the Son of Man. As a consequence of his growing faith and understanding, he worshipped Him.
The question we need to ask is, have we begun the process of rediscovering Jesus in our lives? This is what the Popes have been asking us, from Pope John Paul II to Pope Benedict to Pope Francis. Have you rediscovered Jesus as your Lord and savior? This is what the New Evangelization is asking of us. We need to renew our faith in the Lord. Until we confess our faith in Him, we will not allow Him to be the shepherd of our lives. But if we believe in Jesus, then we will be able to surrender ourselves to the Lord. That we are still living a life of sin means that we are only paying lip service to the Lord. We are categorical theists, believers of the doctrines but practical atheists, as we do not live out what we believe. For those who live such lives, we cannot be saved because we are even worse than the atheists who, out of ignorance, do not recognize the Lord. We would be behaving just like the Pharisees who were not true to their beliefs. Mere profession of faith alone cannot save us unless what we worship is how we live. We must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. To worship the Lord is to surrender our lives to Him entirely in thought, word and deed. For those of us who have found the Lord, for those who have lost Him and for those who are finding Him, we are called to be open to the truth. Let us live in the light and in the process, we will discover that what Jesus said and taught are true.
Like the blind man, we are sent. We are called to live enlightened and holy lives. This is the consequence of baptism as symbolized in the healing of the blind man. “Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.” Let us imitate the Lord who said, “As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.”
Today, let us renew our baptismal promises by washing ourselves in the pool. For those who are baptized, we need to make a good confession so that we can see the truth about ourselves clearly and to see Jesus. Let us say to Jesus we want to be His disciples. This is what the blind man is asking of us. “Do you want to become his disciples too?” What is our response? Will we react as the Pharisees did? “At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.’” Do we know where Jesus came from? If we do, then let us renew our faith in Him, walk His path and worship Him with our lives. Otherwise, happiness, life and love will slip from us, for Jesus said, “It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.”
Written by The Most Rev Msgr William Goh
SCRIPTURE READINGS:1 SM 16:1.6-7.10-13; EPH 5:8-14; JN 9:1-41 (OR >< 9:1.6-9.13-17.34-38)
http://www.universalis.com/20140330/mass.htm
The world is blinded in so many ways. It cannot see clearly. The world is looking for happiness but seeking the wrong places and offering illusory pursuits. Like Samuel we are not so discerning at times. We tend to judge things superficially. Indeed, we think that if we have power, money, status, popularity and position, we will be happy in life. The truth is that such things rob us of our freedom, anxiety and peace. Powerful people are always afraid of their enemies, and they have many. Rich people are always preoccupied with growing their money and then worrying about who to give to, so that their hard earned money is not squandered away. People of status and position have no freedom and privacy to do what they like. It is like the poor man who found a priceless pearl, but lost his peace and safety because people were after his life as they wanted to have the pearl as well. Indeed, the prophet puts it aptly, “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Similarly, those who live in sin or in adultery may appear to be enjoying the pleasures of life. But they are hurting within because they will have to bear the consequences of their sins. Their health could be destroyed because of promiscuity and excessive smoking, drinking and eating. Their personal lives could be destroyed because their relationships with their spouse and children will become strained. Most of all, they have no peace in their hearts. Indeed, their temporary pleasures are marred by the fear they live with of their crimes and sins being discovered one day. They have no peace of mind except a taunting and tormenting conscience, especially in their quiet moments.
Why are we blind? What prevents us from seeing? Like the blind man, we could be blind simply because we are ignorant. He was born blind, that is, ignorant because of Original Sin. We have lost the preternatural gift of infused knowledge. If we are sincerely ignorant of the truth, God will forgive us. For this is what Jesus said, “If you were (blind), you would not be guilty.” So on the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they were doing.” So for those ignorant of the Lord and of the truth, they could be forgiven.
There are others who are blind for fear of being isolated and marginalized. This is the case of the parents of the blind man. They were not ready to stand up for their son or for Jesus because they feared the religious leaders. “His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’” Rejection and alienation from the bigger group, especially our community and support group prevent us from standing up for our beliefs. Indeed, many Catholics are ashamed to be recognized as Catholics for fear that they might be ridiculed and excluded from their social circles.
Still, there are others who are blind because they live in sin due to weakness. Because of sin, many of us are not able to confront the truth about ourselves. We cannot cope with our weaknesses and our tendency to sin, especially in the flesh. As a consequence, when we go deeper into the state of sin, we are unable to see the truth about ourselves. We begin to rationalize and justify our sins even, like the Pharisees in the gospel.
However, the worst sin among all sins is the sin of Pride. This sin blocks our ability to see the truth. Like the religious leaders in the gospel, the sin of pride is not due to ignorance but simply the refusal to see. In the gospel, we read how the Pharisees were finding ways and means to reject the fact that the blind man was healed by Jesus. They tried to make him deny the truth. Not only did they put pressure on him to reject Jesus but also on others so that they could perpetuate their lie. Their pride prevented them from being open to the reality of the situation and Jesus who healed the blind man. They were not humble enough to learn. So pride is a deliberate sin. A person who chooses not to see is guilty and commits the sin against the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the Pharisees, “’Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains.”
As we enter the second part of the season of Lent, we are called to recognize that only Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd, can lead us out of the valley of darkness by healing us of our blindness. St Paul exhorts us all, “Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Indeed, Jesus is the Light of the World. He has come to enlighten us of the truth, about ourselves and of God. He is the way, the truth and the life. If we want to find truth and love and life, then to Jesus, our Good Shepherd we must come.
But how can we come to recognize Him as our saviour? It is a process. The blind man began by searching for the truth. Because of his sincerity, Jesus came to find Him. Initially, he did not know Jesus but he encountered Jesus through His mercy and compassion. Touched by His love and mercy, he came to realize that Jesus was surely a holy man, a prophet and the Son of Man. As a consequence of his growing faith and understanding, he worshipped Him.
The question we need to ask is, have we begun the process of rediscovering Jesus in our lives? This is what the Popes have been asking us, from Pope John Paul II to Pope Benedict to Pope Francis. Have you rediscovered Jesus as your Lord and savior? This is what the New Evangelization is asking of us. We need to renew our faith in the Lord. Until we confess our faith in Him, we will not allow Him to be the shepherd of our lives. But if we believe in Jesus, then we will be able to surrender ourselves to the Lord. That we are still living a life of sin means that we are only paying lip service to the Lord. We are categorical theists, believers of the doctrines but practical atheists, as we do not live out what we believe. For those who live such lives, we cannot be saved because we are even worse than the atheists who, out of ignorance, do not recognize the Lord. We would be behaving just like the Pharisees who were not true to their beliefs. Mere profession of faith alone cannot save us unless what we worship is how we live. We must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. To worship the Lord is to surrender our lives to Him entirely in thought, word and deed. For those of us who have found the Lord, for those who have lost Him and for those who are finding Him, we are called to be open to the truth. Let us live in the light and in the process, we will discover that what Jesus said and taught are true.
Like the blind man, we are sent. We are called to live enlightened and holy lives. This is the consequence of baptism as symbolized in the healing of the blind man. “Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.” Let us imitate the Lord who said, “As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.”
Today, let us renew our baptismal promises by washing ourselves in the pool. For those who are baptized, we need to make a good confession so that we can see the truth about ourselves clearly and to see Jesus. Let us say to Jesus we want to be His disciples. This is what the blind man is asking of us. “Do you want to become his disciples too?” What is our response? Will we react as the Pharisees did? “At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.’” Do we know where Jesus came from? If we do, then let us renew our faith in Him, walk His path and worship Him with our lives. Otherwise, happiness, life and love will slip from us, for Jesus said, “It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.”
Written by The Most Rev Msgr William Goh