Fourth Sunday of Lent

Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. – Ephesians 5:10

         I’ve noticed something. When we get busy, the things that get booted out of our schedule are the important stuff. Think about it.

         When we have a lot of work and we need to go overtime, don’t we forego time with our family?

         When our nights are so full, we run out of time to exercise.

         Or when we have a lot of things to do in a day, don’t we skip our prayer time or Mass?

         Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” This man knew how much he

         Our world is spinning so fast that it’s easy to exchange the urgent for the important. Let’s guard our time so that we don’t waste it on useless activities that don’t get us closer to our eternal goal. Rissa Singson Kawpeng (rissa@shepherdsvoice.com.ph)  

Reflection:“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” (Stephen Covey)

Lord, help us discern how to spend our time. Teach us to “waste” our time on things that have eternal value. Amen.

Blessed Didacus of Cadiz, pray for us.

God surprises us always by His choices. In today’s reading, no one in Jesse’s family expected God, through Samuel, to choose David over his brothers. Let us be open to the unexpected ways that He will work in our lives.

1 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.” 6 As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is here before him.” 7 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.” 10 In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any one of these.” 11 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.” 12 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!” 13 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 rushed upon David.

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

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; 3 he refreshes my soul. (R) He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 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) 5 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes. You anoint my head with oil - my cup overflows. (R) 6 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)

We are called to live as children of the light. Our life needs to reflect that we are disciples of Jesus. It is not enough to profess our faith in God – we need to live our Christian life to the full every day.

8 Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, 9 for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. 10 Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, 12 for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Jesus explains that children will have to bear the sufferings and consequences of the sins of their parents. The effects of sin can be far reaching and affect relatives and friends but this is not the result of a law. Sin is evil and unjust and can affect others.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

1 As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 6 He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, 7 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. 8 His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” 13 They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. 15 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.” 16 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. 17 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.” 34 They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. 35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshipped him.

think: Like the blind man in today’s Gospel, when did you first “see” Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

Read the Bible in one year Genesis 37-39

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

CURE TO OUR SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

While walking along the streets of Jerusalem, Jesus meets a common sight: a disabled person begging for alms. What else is the poor man to do? He has been blind from birth, so employment opportunities were zero. He cannot see, but he can speak. So he cries out for assistance. The disciples use the opportunity to pose to Jesus a problem which the Jewish had always been deeply concerned, and which is still a problem today. The Jews believed that suffering is a punishment for sin. So they asked Jesus, “This man, is his blindness due to his own sin, or to the sin of his parents?”

       Jesus is much more interested in solving the problem than analyzing it. But the action He takes is strange, to say the least. He could have simply gathered a crowd, given a speech, and then uttered the dramatic command: “Be healed.” He did it this way with others. But no, He spat on the dirt, made a paste of mud, and smeared it on the eyes of the poor man, commanding him to wash off the paste in the Pool of Siloam.

       Why do we read this strange Gospel on a Sunday of Lent? The early Christians saw physical blindness as a metaphor for the spiritual blindness which prevents people from recognizing Jesus. This story testifies, therefore, to the power of Jesus to heal not just the blindness of the eye but, above all, the blindness of the heart.

       From earliest times, this story has been associated with baptism. The whole Lenten liturgy was a preparation for candidates who would be baptized during the Easter Vigil. We still renew on Easter our baptismal promises and the Lenten liturgy wants us to become aware once more what our baptism was all about.

       Just as the blind man went down into the waters of Siloam and came up whole, so also we who were immersed in the waters of baptism came out spiritually whole, totally healed of the blindness with which we were born. For, like the blind man in the Gospel, we are all born blind — spiritually, that is. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

Do you recognize the blind spots in your faith?

Lord, even though healed in baptism, I feel that sin has made me spiritually blind in some areas of my faith. Heal me, Lord, as You healed the blind man in Jerusalem. Amen.