The Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called Laetare Sunday, “Rejoice” Sunday. The celebrant may use rose-colored vestments to mark the half-way point in our lenten spiritual journey to Easter. 

First Reading: 1 Samuel16:1b,6-7,10-13a

Samuel was the last of the Judges of Israel, a stage in their development before the Kingdom of Israel and Judah.  His name means “his name is El [god].”  David replaced Saul as King.  There are three stories of his anointing: by Samuel, by the “men of Judah” in 2 Samuel 2:4 and by “the elders of Israel” in 2 Samuel 5:3. In this account, David does not actively seek the kingship. His name is not mentioned until the last verse. He was not the obvious choice to the prophet or even his own father! It is another story in the Old Testament about the younger brother assuming a prominence over the elder brother -- in this case, seven older brothers. The shepherd is chosen. It was an image that was used for leadership, even in the Gospel.

Oil was used to anoint kings and priests (Leviticus 8:2). The anointing is followed by the coming of “the spirit of the Lord.” It was a sign of life and power, but it comes not from the human act of pouring the oil, but from the presence of God, which follows the action. 

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

The letter to the Ephesians may have been written by the followers of Paul. It assumes many of the themes of the Letter to the Colossians, but develops the concept of the Church as the Body of Christ much more. 

The theme of creation finds an echo in the images of the writer. The author plays upon the contrast between light and darkness. The separation of light and darkness was the first day of creation at the beginning of the Bible. It headed the list of all that God did afterward. When God separated the dry land and the water on the third day of creation, the land was a very fruitful land. It was prepared for the further creation of the land creatures and humankind to dwell on that land in the sixth day of creation. 

The “fruitless works of darkness” allude to the condition of chaos, before the spirit of God began to hover over the elements that would become creation through the word and command of God.  The passage concludes with a comment about resurrection. It uses the image of waking from sleep, which imitated the unconsciousness of death. Christ becomes the source of light, and thus the source of life, too. 

When I was in grade school, we had to do science projects every year. One of my projects was to compare how plants grew with and without light. The plant that had full sunlight grew full and green. It was clearly a healthy plant! The plant that was placed under a bo, with only a small hole at the top, grew tall. But it was very spindly and had little color to it. It aimed for the little hole, and only that part that could reach it had any light at all. It didn’t look like the plant would survive. Afterward, I let the unhealthy plant stand in the light. I had to support it, since it did not have the strength to hold itself up. It quickly adapted to the sunlight. The stem thickened, so that it could hold itself up. It began to turn green and grow leaves. Light and life were very closely related in living plants. It is also a lesson for our spiritual life as well! 

Gospel:  John 9:1-41 (short version:  John 9:1,6-9,13-17,34-38)

This is the second of three long narratives from the Gospel of John in the Cycle A readings for Lent (in addition to the Passion Narrative). It is another story for those who are preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil… and also a lesson for us, who renew our membership, too!

Physical sight is often used as a metaphor for the vision of faith. “A man blind from birth,” who receives his sight, enters a new creation! Jesus says that “I am the light of the world.” Night is a time of inactivity, the lack of creativity and growth. It takes some time for the man to recognize who and why he received his sight after Jesus touched his eyes with saliva and clay (the substance from which the first man was made). He washed in the Pool of Siloam, “which means sent.” The reference to his past blindness is repeated throughout the narrative -- “one who was once blind”… ”he had been blind”… ”born blind,” etc. The impossibility of human power to accomplish this act answers the question of the identity of Jesus: “It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.” Jesus did something new. Jesus also cured the man on the Sabbath, the day when creation was completed by God. Entering into “the rest” of God was a promise for those whose heart is with Him (see Psalm 95:11). 

The Son of Man was a title that was used for the expected Messiah at this time.  Originally, it meant any human being. But the extra-biblical Jewish literature began to speak of this figure that would announce the Day of the Lord. Jesus said that “I came into this world for judgment.” But the judgment was decided upon the willingness of people to “see,” to have a vision of the Lord in their midst. 

The man received his sight, but his faith was still imperfect. He did not know in whom to believe, until Jesus came to him once more at the end of the narrative. The man had already been expelled from the company of the Pharisees. Now, he makes a profession of faith: ‘I do believe, Lord.” It contrasts with the response of the Pharisees, who have physical sight and think that they also have spiritual sight. However, they refuse to recognize the importance of what Jesus did by explaining that “He is a sinner.” They overruled the testimony of all those who came before them. 

In our busy lives, often kept in the dark as to our ultimate outcome, we miss the vision of Christ among us. As we complete this spiritual journey, our lenten penance is to remove the obstacles that keep the light of faith from enlightening our lives. As we grow toward the source of our light, our vision of life will become much “rosier.” 

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Fr. Richard C. Macey is pastor of Our Lady of the Woods Parish, Woodhaven.