First reading from the first book of Samuel 1 SM 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 rushed upon David.
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians EPH 5:8-14
Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of 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 arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to John Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. 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.” 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.” 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 worshiped him.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER The man born blind and healed represents us when we do not realize that Jesus is the light; he is “the Light of the World”, when we are looking elsewhere, when we prefer to entrust ourselves to little lights, when we are groping in the dark.
Acting as children of the light requires a radical change of mind-set, a capacity to judge men and things according to another scale of values, which comes from God. What does it mean to have the true light, to walk in the light? First of all it means abandoning false lights: the cold, vain light of prejudice against others, because prejudice distorts reality and ladens us with aversion to those whom we judge without mercy and condemn without appeal.
May the Blessed Virgin, who was the first to welcome Jesus, the Light of the World, obtain for us this grace of welcoming anew the light of faith this Lent, rediscovering the inestimable gift of Baptism, which all of us have received. And may this new illumination transform us in attitude and action, so that we too, beginning with our poverty, our narrow-mindedness, may be bearers of a ray of the light of Christ. (Angelus, 26 March 2017)
Jesuits - We speak of a blind person who comes to see, and this change from not seeing to seeing is a transition that indicates a coming into the light, being born; it is taken as a metaphor of baptismal enlightenment. The blind man may be able to see very well, because he has an inner looking. In reality instead we are all blind, we don't know where we are, where we come from and where we are going and therefore we lead a life in darkness. And so this story wants to make us pass from darkness to light. First, we have seen the healing of the blind man, where in reality it is not that the blind man is healed; Jesus puts his mud on his eyes and then says a word to him: go and wash at Siloe's pool; Jesus' mud, kneaded with his saliva, is his humanity as the Son of man that, however, is kneaded with the Spirit, He is the Son of God. It is precisely by putting his humanity before our eyes that He makes us see who is man and who is God. It is up to us to freely accept his Word. And the blind man goes, obeying with closed eyes, but with good reason, to Siloe's pool which means "sent", that is, he dives into the sent, into the water of the sent. This is also a sign of what is done in Baptism.
What does it mean to be baptized? To be immersed in Christ. In what Christ? In that - says Paul - which I have painted before your eyes so well, that is, in his humanity, we immerse ourselves in the humanity of Jesus who is the truth of God and the truth of man. So, the first attempt of the leaders themselves is to give a wrong interpretation. And the former blind man resists. He is a man free from power and dominant culture; he has his own well-founded opinion on reality, because he sees and appreciates it. And whoever does not know the experience of change and wants to maintain his power will never understand the truth; for him the truth are his certainties taken for granted, his advantages, that is the truth. But that is his blindness. Whoever heals from blindness and sees the truth of God and man, sees that God is for man, that God is love, that God gives everything, that God gives Himself, that God gives freedom that freedom is love and service, truly changes his way of reading reality, of seeing Himself, of seeing others, of seeing God and becomes enlightened. And from hand to hand, when the former blind man encounters difficulties, he needs to find answers; and how does he respond? Remember the fact. And every time he remembers it and has a new difficulty, he understands a new and deeper dimension. So, paradoxically, it is precisely the difficulties that enlighten him. It is the difference between the rigid dogmatism of the one who sacrifices any reality to the truth of principle and that of the one who, instead, very modestly realizes what God does in the world and in history, has discernment, sees the differences and says: look here, God acts! And so, instead of using violence against history, he indulges in the life, in the history; he begins to have discretion, instead of violence against life and history. He understood one thing: that the real miracle is not seeing , it is becoming disciples of this Man, of his mud, of his humanity, of this free MAN, who knows how to give sight to the blind, who makes man free. So he has already understood something more and then he says: do you want to become his disciples?
-->-> Faith is the experience that you have here and now of God as liberator and savior. And then the ex-blind man who can now see well says: and this is truly extraordinary! You who are theologians and know everything, who are the leaders of the people and have every power in heaven and on earth - you say - you do not know this fundamental thing: where is the one from who opens eyes to the blind - there is a constant affirmation in the Psalms and in Isaiah - you do not know the fundamental things. You do not know who brings you to the light of the truth and you do not even care to know, that is, you immediately exclude him because you do not know him. And then he says: this is the extraordinary, you do not know, but HE has opened my eyes! So it's a perfect argument, against which they can't argue anything. But instead there is a way to argue, and a very precise one. First it is a further insult, saying: you are arrogant! You dare teach us! How dare you? And then, afterwards, they simply sent him out. This is expelled, as expelled comes to light, and as the child who comes to light sees the mother's face, this finally "sees" whom? He sees the Lord and this is the enlightened one. Who is this Son of Man? He is Jesus with what He has just done. He gave birth to a blind man. Jesus who gives you another idea of yourself, of others, of God, of the law. It is this man who finally presents you with the true face of man, the true face of God. In your experience, precisely of fatigue, of struggle, of expulsion, you yourself have become a free man who loves the truth and affirms it in his own life and you are a witness of the light. Now you can see Him, because healed at the sight. You can see Him. And HE is the one who speaks to you. He is Himself. This is the Son of Man who presents to you the true image of man in the image of God. And our baptism is to finally arrive at this image of man and immerse ourselves in it and there we find the truth of ourselves and of God: God is Father to us and we are children. And here it says: I believe, Lord, and worshipped Him.
First reading from the first book of Samuel
RispondiElimina1 SM 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 rushed upon David.
Second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
EPH 5:8-14
Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of 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 arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
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.”
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.”
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 worshiped him.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaThe man born blind and healed represents us when we do not realize that Jesus is the light; he is “the Light of the World”, when we are looking elsewhere, when we prefer to entrust ourselves to little lights, when we are groping in the dark.
Acting as children of the light requires a radical change of mind-set, a capacity to judge men and things according to another scale of values, which comes from God. What does it mean to have the true light, to walk in the light? First of all it means abandoning false lights: the cold, vain light of prejudice against others, because prejudice distorts reality and ladens us with aversion to those whom we judge without mercy and condemn without appeal.
May the Blessed Virgin, who was the first to welcome Jesus, the Light of the World, obtain for us this grace of welcoming anew the light of faith this Lent, rediscovering the inestimable gift of Baptism, which all of us have received. And may this new illumination transform us in attitude and action, so that we too, beginning with our poverty, our narrow-mindedness, may be bearers of a ray of the light of Christ. (Angelus, 26 March 2017)
Jesuits - We speak of a blind person who comes to see, and this change from not seeing to seeing is a transition that indicates a coming into the light, being born; it is taken as a metaphor of baptismal enlightenment. The blind man may be able to see very well, because he has an inner looking. In reality instead we are all blind, we don't know where we are, where we come from and where we are going and therefore we lead a life in darkness. And so this story wants to make us pass from darkness to light.
RispondiEliminaFirst, we have seen the healing of the blind man, where in reality it is not that the blind man is healed; Jesus puts his mud on his eyes and then says a word to him: go and wash at Siloe's pool; Jesus' mud, kneaded with his saliva, is his humanity as the Son of man that, however, is kneaded with the Spirit, He is the Son of God.
It is precisely by putting his humanity before our eyes that He makes us see who is man and who is God. It is up to us to freely accept his Word.
And the blind man goes, obeying with closed eyes, but with good reason, to Siloe's pool which means "sent", that is, he dives into the sent, into the water of the sent.
This is also a sign of what is done in Baptism.
What does it mean to be baptized? To be immersed in Christ. In what Christ? In that - says Paul - which I have painted before your eyes so well, that is, in his humanity, we immerse ourselves in the humanity of Jesus who is the truth of God and the truth of man.
So, the first attempt of the leaders themselves is to give a wrong interpretation.
And the former blind man resists. He is a man free from power and dominant culture; he has his own well-founded opinion on reality, because he sees and appreciates it.
And whoever does not know the experience of change and wants to maintain his power will never understand the truth; for him the truth are his certainties taken for granted, his advantages, that is the truth.
But that is his blindness.
Whoever heals from blindness and sees the truth of God and man, sees that God is for man, that God is love, that God gives everything, that God gives Himself, that God gives freedom that freedom is love and service, truly changes his way of reading reality, of seeing Himself, of seeing others, of seeing God and becomes enlightened.
And from hand to hand, when the former blind man encounters difficulties, he needs to find answers; and how does he respond? Remember the fact. And every time he remembers it and has a new difficulty, he understands a new and deeper dimension. So, paradoxically, it is precisely the difficulties that enlighten him.
It is the difference between the rigid dogmatism of the one who sacrifices any reality to the truth of principle and that of the one who, instead, very modestly realizes what God does in the world and in history, has discernment, sees the differences and says: look here, God acts!
And so, instead of using violence against history, he indulges in the life, in the history; he begins to have discretion, instead of violence against life and history.
He understood one thing: that the real miracle is not seeing , it is becoming disciples of this Man, of his mud, of his humanity, of this free MAN, who knows how to give sight to the blind, who makes man free.
So he has already understood something more and then he says: do you want to become his disciples?
-->-> Faith is the experience that you have here and now of God as liberator and savior.
RispondiEliminaAnd then the ex-blind man who can now see well says: and this is truly extraordinary! You who are theologians and know everything, who are the leaders of the people and have every power in heaven and on earth - you say - you do not know this fundamental thing: where is the one from who opens eyes to the blind - there is a constant affirmation in the Psalms and in Isaiah - you do not know the fundamental things. You do not know who brings you to the light of the truth and you do not even care to know, that is, you immediately exclude him because you do not know him.
And then he says: this is the extraordinary, you do not know, but HE has opened my eyes!
So it's a perfect argument, against which they can't argue anything.
But instead there is a way to argue, and a very precise one. First it is a further insult, saying: you are arrogant! You dare teach us! How dare you? And then, afterwards, they simply sent him out.
This is expelled, as expelled comes to light, and as the child who comes to light sees the mother's face, this finally "sees" whom?
He sees the Lord and this is the enlightened one.
Who is this Son of Man? He is Jesus with what He has just done.
He gave birth to a blind man.
Jesus who gives you another idea of yourself, of others, of God, of the law.
It is this man who finally presents you with the true face of man, the true face of God.
In your experience, precisely of fatigue, of struggle, of expulsion, you yourself have become a free man who loves the truth and affirms it in his own life and you are a witness of the light.
Now you can see Him, because healed at the sight.
You can see Him. And HE is the one who speaks to you. He is Himself.
This is the Son of Man who presents to you the true image of man in the image of God. And our baptism is to finally arrive at this image of man and immerse ourselves in it and there we find the truth of ourselves and of God: God is Father to us and we are children.
And here it says: I believe, Lord, and worshipped Him.