HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Mar 30, 2014

2302

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Samuel (16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a)

The Lord said to Samuel: "Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons."

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is here before him." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart."

In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any one of these." Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replied, "There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here." Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The Lord said, "There - anoint him, for this is the one!" Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6)

(R) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures He gives me repose; beside restful waters He leads me; He refreshes my soul. (R)

He guides me in right paths for His name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. (R)

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (R)

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (5:8-14)

Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.

Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (9:1-41)

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" - which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am."

So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He replied, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, "Go to Siloam and wash." So I went there and washed and was able to see." And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" His parents answered and said, "We know that his is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; question him."

So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner." He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" They ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." The man answered and said to them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does His will, He listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything."

They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshipped him.

Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see, might become blind." Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If your were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, "We see", so your sin remains."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

The Letter to the Ephesians is said to be one of the most encouraging, instructive and inspiring books in the Bible. It was written by Paul to strengthen the faith of the believers in Ephesus. Before their conversion to faith in Christ, the people of Ephesus were into superstitious practices of magic, sorcery and astrology. They were also living a life of drunkenness, sexual immorality, theft, hatred, jealousy and conflict. As these practices continue, Paul writes the letter to encourage them to appreciate the dignity of their calling as Christians. He reminds them who they once were and who they should be now.

He writes, "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord", (5:8). Paul does not say that they were in darkness but were darkness itself. In other words, once they were part of the darkness of unbelief, and were under the control and influence of Satan or evil. But now because of their belief in Jesus they are light, and are under the domain of the Lord Jesus. How does the transformation from darkness to light take place? The transformation occurs as a result of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, and it takes place in the lives of all who come to know and believe in Christ.

Paul then goes on to talk about the implications of being light in the Lord. First, he says, "Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness, righteousness and truth", (5:9). "Light" here refers to Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Jesus says, "I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life", John (8:12). So Paul reminds the Ephesians that they have now changed from darkness to light and they must humbly follow Jesus Christ, and behave as children of the light. As Jesus himself brings forth fruits, the children of Jesus also must bear fruit. Like Jesus they are encouraged to demonstrate in their lives every kind of goodness, righteousness and truth.

What is goodness? Goodness is defined as "generosity of spirit". When Jesus was on Earth, he displayed goodness, grace, mercy and kindness by reaching out to sinners; by speaking words of comfort and consolation to the brokenhearted; by healing the sick; and finally by sacrificing his life on the cross for all mankind. Therefore, Paul encourages the Ephesian Christians to display a similar depth of compassion and goodness in their lives.

What is righteousness? Righteousness is not just treating others fairly or rightly but also doing right ourselves. Jesus is our best example of righteousness. In his life, Jesus treated people fairly, did what was right, judged evil and defended the innocent. Jesus always did what was right before God. He demonstrated righteousness by keeping the law of God faithfully and perfectly. So Paul calls upon the Ephesians to live righteous lives with good works and obedience, and to do everything with purity of heart.

What is truth? Truth is something to be known and to be acted on. One's thoughts and words must perfectly align with deeds and character. For instance, if we say we love someone then our love must be seen in action. Jesus' love is based on truth. He reveals the truth of his love to humankind by his own suffering and death. So Paul thinks that Christians must not just speak the truth but also live it out in their lives.

Secondly, he says, "Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord". Christians are to learn the difference between that which is pleasing and that which is not pleasing to God. He wants them to examine the various teachings presented to them and follow with their whole heart only what is approved by God or pleasing to Him.

Thirdly, he says, "Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light". In other words, Paul wants the Ephesians not to involve themselves whatsoever in any fruitless deeds of darkness. They are not to follow the ways of the world or fall into the sins of the world. Because there are many things that the Church teaches as sins which unbelievers and non-Christians see as life styles or modern trends. However, here we must note that Paul tells them to shun only the sins but not the people who commit them. And then Paul asks the Christians to courageously expose the misdeeds or sins of the world. How can they expose them? Some sins are committed openly without shame, and some are done in secret. It is shameful even to mention many of the secret wrongdoings. So Paul tells the Christians to expose evil acts, on the one hand, by reminding others gently and kindly not to commit them, and on the other, by living holy lives themselves. His point is that if they live lives so radically different from this world, sinners will begin to see how sinful their deeds are.

Finally the text concludes with a hymn: Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. These words are probably from an early Christian hymn. Paul perhaps is quoting it to wake them up from their continued spiritual sleep or spiritual darkness, so that they will seek Christ the Light of the world.

Friends, are you a true believer of Jesus? Or are you someone who only outwardly follow some religious practices but inwardly remain darkness? If you are light, are you glad that you are no longer what you were? The amazing thing is that when we are "in the Lord," that is, when we come to have personal faith in Jesus Christ we go from darkness to light. The change occurs or should occur in every believer in Christ. Now that we are light, let us therefore wakeup from continued sleep and rise from the dead, and seek Christ, the Light of the world. Let our behavior reflect the light of Christ. Let us illuminate our entire lives with every kind of goodness, righteousness and truth. Let us keep on learning what pleases the Lord by testing, by examining everything we do. When we expose the deeds of darkness let us do it gently and kindly by explaining what sin is and by living holy lives ourselves.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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