Gospel for the day - 4th Sunday of Lent - Year A

John 9:1-41
‘He went and washed and received his sight.’

At that time: As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.


 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘It is he.’ Others said, ‘No, but he is like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” So I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’


 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’ And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’


 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’


 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ‘Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ And they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?’ And they cast him out.


 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped him. Jesus said, ‘For judgement I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see”, your guilt remains.’



This is the gospel of the Lord.  Commentary

Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week.

Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts. If you are interested in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word please email us: cluster.alpha@outlook.com




Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


Jesus heals a blind man in today’s Gospel and sends shockwaves through the religious establishment. Not only does he perform this miracle on the Sabbath, He does so in the full knowledge that He is putting Himself in increasing danger. He challenges the religious authorities and shines a light on their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. Jesus truly is the Light of the World, the judgement, the dividing line between those who can see and those who are willingly blind. For the disciples, this blind man is a puzzle. Disability and suffering were deemed to be a result of sin so…. who had sinned? The man had been born blind so was it him or his parents? Instead of debating the merits or demerits of this question, Jesus is instead driven by compassion to do His Father’s work even if that meant putting Himself in the firing line, and so He heals him. God meets us in our need wherever we are and whenever we are.

The blind beggar’s healing isn’t instantaneous. It is a walk of faith. He is given instructions by Jesus about what he should do after the paste has been applied to his eyes, and he does exactly what he is told, showing great trust and obedience. Then…. “He came back seeing.” Is there something for us here? Can we also keep faith with God in the midst of our suffering, trusting in Him as the blind man does? The miracle is so great that, despite seeing the man cured, people could not believe it. The Pharisee’s spiritual blindness is in sharp contrast to the man’s simple logic and clear understanding. If Jesus was a sinner, how was he able to heal me? He must come from God. Faith is such a simple thing but the Pharisees cannot acknowledge the power and mercy of God displayed in the man before them. Jesus is the dividing line.

 As they bicker and quarrel, insulting and abusing the man, he now shows how much his encounter with Jesus has changed him. Fearlessly, he baits these pompous leaders and calls them out, wondering if they’d actually like to be disciples of Jesus too given that they’re so obsessed with Him. For this he is expelled from the synagogue and cut off from his religious community, but it is now, when he is all alone, that Jesus comes in search of him. Jesus offers the man a new spiritual home, a new spiritual authority of love, light, mercy and hope where miracles are not bound by man-made restrictions or laws. It is the one who has been blind from birth who has grown in insight. While the eyes of the Pharisees are closed to the gift of Jesus, the man immediately bows down and worships Him as the Son of Man. Having been touched by Christ’s healing light, he can now freely say “Lord, I believe.” 

 

Q1 Like the Pharisees, we too can be prone to spiritual blindness and yet the Light of Christ is always available to us. Share an experience when you began to see one of your areas of spiritual blindness.

Q2 What are you doing in your life right now to move toward light rather than darkness?*




 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center


Prayers of Intercession


There is so much conflict in our world right now. We pray especially for all those in the Middle East suffering from the effects of war. Fear and chaos cause many to despair and lose heart. Jesus, who is the Light of the world, brings hope into the dark places of suffering and pain. We ask the Lord to open the eyes and hearts of the world’s leaders to the futility of war, and we pray for an end to the violence and for peace amongst the nations.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


As children of God, we are called on to be a light for others. We ask for strength to be beacons of hope especially in times of darkness. May we always reflect love and compassion to a broken world. We pray for the courage to burn bright when all seems hopeless. May we always stand up for the poor, the outcasts and all those experiencing injustice and may our lives be a shining testimony of God’s love, mercy and glory.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


The man healed in today’s Gospel gained more than his sight. He was also blessed with insight into the truth of who Jesus really was. He saw the power and love of God clearly in the person of Jesus whilst those in spiritual authority over him were blind to the truth. As children of light, we have been given the gift of the Spirit, a Spirit which is holy and who enlightens our minds and hearts. We ask for the grace of humility, to become aware of areas in our lives where we too may be spiritually blind. We ask for help to see past our egos, our selfishness and our desire for comfort so that we can see our need for God more clearly.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


Today, we remember mothers everywhere. We thank you for all the people who have mothered us throughout our lives, for all those who have held us and fed us, cared for us and comforted us, challenged and encouraged us. We remember especially those mothers raising their children in dangerous places-grant them courage and relief. We remember mothers and children who are separated, those desperate to become mothers and adoptive and fostering mothers. We pray also for all those grieving the loss of a mother or a child and all those who have suffered under abusive mothers. May they be comforted and strengthened by our prayers and the unconditional love of God.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


We bring our sick before the great healer and ask God’s blessing on all who are suffering from poor health and those named on the Prayer Foundation

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


We remember all those who have gone before us especially Gavin Flynn and Patrick Breen.

We remember also all those whose anniversaries occur about this time. May they rest in the peace of Christ 

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer


We now say together Pope Leo’s prayer for disarmament and Peace


Lord of Life, you shaped every human being in your image and likeness. 

We believe you created us for communion, not for war, for fraternity, not for destruction. You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,” grant us the gift of your peace and the strength to make it a reality in history.


Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference, so we may become instruments of reconciliation.

Help us understand that true security does not come from control fuelled by fear, but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.


Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the centre

May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.

Holy Spirit, make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace: in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our cities.  May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation, and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world. Amen.



We will now say together the prayer to be missionary disciples.

Cluster prayer

Lord continue to bless our community in this time of transition.

Help us on our journey to grow from a maintenance church to a missionary church.
Give us the courage to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and prejudice.

Kindle in us the fire of your love that all who come here will find joy, peace and love.

Make this a house of prayer and a gateway to your kingdom.

AMEN

Preparing for next week - 5th Sunday of Lent

John 11:1-45

‘I am the resurrection and the life.’


At that time: A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’


Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’ After saying these things, he said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’


Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’


When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’


Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a smell, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’


Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.



This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary



Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)

The gospel today is a well known one. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This shows the power and goodness of God. Having seen this miracle, we know that many people came to believe. Others responded with anger which seems to have sealed Jesus' fate and as we know a short time later he was crucified. Here was a man who had the power over death but allowed himself to be put to death out of love for us all. 


The crowd who witness the miracle are in parts amazed and converted but there are others who leave to go and tell the Pharisees. The enormity of the power on display doesn't bring them to accept Jesus, but to fear his growing influence. Perhaps that is because they recognise Jesus' message as a complete change of priorities and a total challenge to the prevailing status quo and their earthly dominance. 

The last words of the reading are Jesus instructing the people to "Unbind him and set him free" . Jesus who has demonstrated his power to bring Lazarus to life, is also saying that Lazarus can't fulfill his life unless he can be free. Literally Lazarus was bound by cloth and enclosed by stone.  Figuratively we are all bound. Some are trapped by crushing poverty brought about by unjust systems or others because the system makes them feel inadequate.

1. In what way are you bound? In what way are you freeing others?
2. Christ calls us from death to new life. To what new life are you being called during this Lent?*

 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center