Learning to See
The images in today’s three scripture readings are concrete and real:
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anointing with oil
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light dispelling darkness
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and a blind man seeing clearly and fully for the first time in his life.
In the first reading from the First Book of Samuel, a handsome young man named David is chosen by God to be the King of Israel… and anointed precisely to take over that leadership role.
In the second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the image of light dispelling the darkness is dominant: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."
In today’s third reading from St. John’s Gospel, a man born blind is cured by Christ and given full sight.
You know….each of these images relates to us as disciples of the Lord Jesus.
Each of us has been chosen by the Lord…. to belong to Him… to be a member of His people.
That choice was absolutely made at our Baptism when we were reborn of water and the Holy Spirit.
At our Baptism, we too were anointed with the oil of catechumens and with sacred chrism.
At our Baptism, we too were called to be a light…. and given a lit candle to symbolize this call to walk as a child of the light.
In Baptism, the blindness of original sin (and for adults, of all personal sin) was removed.
From that moment on….. we could see with the eyes of faith.
Lent is intrinsically connected with Baptism.
For those of us already baptized… Lent is the season for our reclaiming more firmly the identity and mission given us when we were baptized into Christ Jesus.
Lent is the time for us to be cured of the blindness that sins have caused…. by coming to Christ in prayer and penance…. asking Him to remove the blindness of sin and to restore us to sight…..for the ability to see again with the eyes of faith.
Lent is the time for us to allow Christ to be our Light….. and to re-commit ourselves to live as children of light…. with every kind of goodness and truth.
For those not yet Catholic…. Lent is the time for the final preparations and instructions prior to coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil.
So today our catechumen Jeremy will be taking part in the second scrutiny.
We continue to support him with our prayer, asking the Lord to "free the elect from the false values that surround and blind them."
We ask that he "rejoice in the light, that he may see" with the light of faith.
In the end….. the images in today’s three scripture readings are more than images.
They become reality for us as we respond more fully to God’s abundant offers of Grace.
And God’s grace is constant---never lacking.
But our cooperation with God’s desire to transform us is essential---it is the concrete and real variable.
Are you willing to let God transform you?
Then you must pray….fast….abstain….give alms….and go to Confession.
When you do all these 5 things……..then you see.
Doing less than these 5…... is to remain blind.