Fourth Sunday of Lent [A]

 


FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT [A]


We’ll begin by referencing a passage from John chapter eight: Jesus identifying himself as “the Light of the World” (8:12). Next, we’ll focus upon an event recorded in John chapter nine: a man who is blind from birth gains the ability to see (9:1-7). It’s a miracle that can be attributed to the person of Jesus. Therefore, we explain what happens in John chapter nine by recalling what has been established in John chapter eight. Light facilitates your ability to see. Jesus has been revealed as the Light of the World. When he ministers to the blind man, suddenly the darkness becomes dramatically dispelled. 


Suppose it’s late in the evening and you notice your neighbor outside, crawling around in his driveway. As you make your inquiry, he explains to you that he is searching for his keys. So you subsequently decide to join him in the search. After a while, you feel the need to ask: Are you sure that you lost them here in the driveway?  Much to your surprise, he responds in the negative: No, I lost them in the yard—but the light is so much better over here!! 


Obviously, there is a flaw in this pattern of thinking. And yet, the man is right about one thing: light represents something positive. It provides a benefit; it provides an advantage. The people of Ephesus are being advised to stay away from the darkness. It’s all about living in the light (Eph. 5:8-14). It might strike you that this should be able to go without having to be said. But nevertheless, St. Paul says it anyway. It’s because sometimes we actually need to be nudged. It’s by way of a nudge that our wayward course ends up being corrected. 


Consider the case of Samuel in our first reading. As far as he is concerned, his eyes are working just fine. He can see where the plan of salvation is heading. However, we get to listen in as the Lord stages an “intervention” (1st Sam. 16:6-13). Samuel’s assessment turns out to be an inaccurate assessment. So this is the Lord, helping Samuel to see. This is the Lord, giving Samuel a healthy nudge (two or three nudges, in reality). And as a result, now he’s seeing the plan far more clearly. 


If you are in communion with the Lord, it means that you are receiving the gift of illumination. He might have to tap you on the shoulder from time to time. But you will be making progress, moving steadily forward. The Lord was central for Samuel, not a feature, not somebody restricted to the periphery. This being the case, we can say that it’s not all that much of a reach when the Lord has to administer a tap on his shoulder. Therefore, keep the Lord central. Don’t allow him to be squeezed further and further toward the margins. It all adds up to a choice: choosing the light over and against the darkness. Or, as St. Paul would put it, strive to be a child of the light, rather than a child of the darkness (Eph. 5:8). 

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