1 And the Lord said to Samuel: fill thy horn with oil, and come, that I may send thee to Isai the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord’s anointed before him? 7 And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart. 10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these. 11 And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12 He sent therefore and brought him Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
1 The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
2 He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: 3a He hath converted my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
3b He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake. 4 For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
5 Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
6 And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading: Ephesians 5: 8-14
8 For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light. 9 For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth; 10 Proving what is well pleasing to God: 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light; for all that is made manifest is light.
John 8: 12 12 I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Gospel: John 9: 1-41
1 And Jesus passing by, saw a man, who was blind from his birth: 2 And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 3 Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes, 7 And said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore, and washed, and he came seeing. 8 The neighbours therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said: This is he. 9 But others said: No, but he is like him. But he said: I am he. 10 They said therefore to him: How were thy eyes opened? 11 He answered: That man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see. 12 And they said to him: Where is he? He saith: I know not. 13 They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was the sabbath, when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees asked him, how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see. 16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 17 They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of him that hath opened thy eyes? And he said: He is a prophet. 18 The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight, 19 And asked them, saying: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see? 20 His parents answered them, and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21 But how he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself: he is of age, let him speak for himself. 22 These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore did his parents say: He is of age, ask himself. 24 They therefore called the man again that had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.
25 He said therefore to them: If he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 They said then to him: What did he to thee? How did he open thy eyes? 27 He answered them: I have told you already, and you have heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become his disciples? 28 They reviled him therefore, and said: Be thou his disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence he is. 30 The man answered, and said to them: Why, herein is a wonderful thing, that you know not from whence he is, and he hath opened my eyes. 31 Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth his will, him he heareth. 32 From the beginning of the world it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. 33 Unless this man were of God, he could not do any thing. 34 They answered, and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God? 36 He answered, and said: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? 37 And Jesus said to him: Thou hast both seen him; and it is he that talketh with thee. 38 And he said: I believe, Lord. And falling down, he adored him. 39 And Jesus said: For judgment I am come into this world; that they who see not, may see; and they who see, may become blind. 40 And some of the Pharisees, who were with him, heard: and they said unto him: Are we also blind? 41 Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you should not have sin: but now you say: We see. Your sin remaineth.
Let us reflect briefly on the account of the man born blind (Jn 9: 1-41). According to the common mentality of the time, the disciples take it for granted that his blindness was the result of a sin committed by him or his parents. Jesus, however, rejects this prejudice and says: "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" (Jn 9: 3).What comfort these words offer us! They let us hear the living voice of God, who is provident and wise Love! In the face of men and women marked by limitations and suffering, Jesus did not think of their possible guilt but rather of the will of God who created man for life. (…) Jesus reveals to the blind man whom he had healed that he had come into the world for judgement, to separate the blind who can be healed from those who do not allow themselves to be healed because they consider themselves healthy. Indeed, the temptation to build himself an ideological security system is strong in man: even religion can become an element of this system, as can atheism or secularism, but in letting this happen one is blinded by one's own selfishness. Let us allow ourselves to be healed by Jesus, who can and wants to give us God's light! Let us confess our blindness, our shortsightedness, and especially what the Bible calls the "great transgression" (cf. Ps 19[18]: 13): pride. (Benedict XVI - Angelus, 2 March 2008)
The Lenten journey that we are taking is a special time of grace during which we can experience the gift of the Lord’s kindness to us. The Liturgy of this Sunday, called “Laetare”, invites us to be glad and rejoice as the Entrance Antiphon of the Eucharistic celebration proclaims: “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts” (cf. Is 66: 10-11). What is the profound reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel in which Jesus heals a man blind from birth tells us. The question which the Lord Jesus asks the blind man is the high point of the story: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (Jn 9:35). The man recognizes the sign worked by Jesus and he passes from the light of his eyes to the light of faith: “Lord, I believe!” (Jn 9:38).
It should be noted that as a simple and sincere person he gradually completes the journey of faith. In the beginning he thinks of Jesus as a “man” among others, then he considers him a “prophet” and finally his eyes are opened and he proclaims him “Lord”. In opposition to the faith of the healed blind man is the hardening of the hearts of the Pharisees who do not want to accept the miracle because they refuse to receive Jesus as the Messiah. Instead the crowd pauses to discuss the event and continues to be distant and indifferent. Even the blind man’s parents are overcome by the fear of what others might think. And what attitude to Jesus should we adopt? Because of Adam’s sin we too are born “blind” but in the baptismal font we are illumined by the grace of Christ. Sin wounded humanity and destined it to the darkness of death, but the newness of life shines out in Christ, as well as the destination to which we are called. In him, reinvigorated by the Holy Spirit, we receive the strength to defeat evil and to do good. In fact the Christian life is a continuous conformation to Christ, image of the new man, in order to reach full communion with God. The Lord Jesus is the “light of the world” (Jn 8:12), because in him shines “the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:6) that continues in the complex plot of the story to reveal the meaning of human existence. In the rite of Baptism, the presentation of the candle lit from the large Paschal candle, a symbol of the Risen Christ, is a sign that helps us to understand what happens in the Sacrament. When our lives are enlightened by the mystery of Christ, we experience the joy of being liberated from all that threatens the full realization. In these days which prepare us for Easter let us rekindle within us the gift received in Baptism, that flame which sometimes risks being extinguished. Let us nourish it with prayer and love for others. Let us entrust our Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church so that all may encounter Christ, Saviour of the world. BENEDICT XVI ANGELUS 3 April 2011
P. FRANCIS - ANGELUS 19 March 2023 Today, the Gospel depicts Jesus giving sight to a man blind from birth (cf. Jn 9:1-41). However, this wonder is badly received by various people and groups. Let us look at the details. But first I would like to say to you: take the Gospel of John today and read about this miracle of Jesus. The way John recounts it in chapter 9 is really beautiful. It only takes two minutes to read it. It makes us see how Jesus proceeds and how the human heart proceeds: the good human heart, the tepid human heart, the fearful human heart, the courageous human heart. Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John. Read it today. It will help you a lot. And how do the people welcome this sign?
First of all, there are Jesus’ disciples who, faced with the man born blind, engage in small talk and ask themselves whether his parents or he was to blame (cf. v. 2). They look for a culprit. And we fall into this many times which is so convenient — to look for a culprit rather than asking ourselves challenging questions in life. And today, we can say: What does the presence of this person mean for us, in my life? What is he asking of us?
Then, once the healing takes place, the reactions intensify. The first are from his neighbours who are sceptical: “This man was always blind. It is not possible that he now sees — it can’t be him! It’s someone else” — scepticism (cf. vv. 8-9). This is unacceptable to them. Better to leave everything like it was before and not face this problem (cf. v. 16). They are afraid, they fear the religious authorities and they do not say what they think (cf. vv. 18-21). In all these reactions, for various reasons, there emerge hearts closed before the sign of Jesus: because they seek a culprit, because they do not know how to be surprised, because they do not want to change, because they are blocked by fear. Today there are many similar situations. Faced with something that is truly a person’s message of witness, a message about Jesus, we fall into this — we look for another explanation, we do not want to change, we look for a more elegant way out rather than accept the truth.
The only person who reacts well is the blind man. Happy to see, he bears witness to what happened to him in the simplest way: “I was blind, now I see” (v. 25). He tells the truth. Before, he had been forced to ask for alms to live on, and had suffered from the prejudice of the people: “He is poor and blind from birth. He has to suffer. He has to pay for his sins or those of his forebears”. Now free in body and spirit, he bears witness to Jesus — he neither invents nor hides anything. “I was blind, now I see”. He is not afraid of what the others will say. He had already known the bitter taste of marginalization his whole life. He had already personally experienced the indifference, the contempt of the passers-by, of those who considered him to be an outcast in society, useful at best for the pious practice of giving some alms. Now healed, he no longer fears those contemptuous attitudes because Jesus has given him his full dignity. And this is clear, it always happens: when Jesus heals us, he gives us back our dignity, the dignity of the healing of Jesus, complete, a dignity that comes forth from the depths of the heart, that takes hold of one’s entire life. And, on the sabbath in front of everyone, Jesus liberated him and gave him sight without asking him for anything, not even a thank you, and he bears witness to this. This is the dignity of a noble person, of a person who knows he is healed and begins again, is reborn. That rebirth in life that they spoke about today on “A Sua Immagine”: to be reborn.
--->Brothers, sisters, through all these characters, today’s Gospel puts us too in the midst of the scene, so we can ask ourselves: What position do we take? What would we have said then? And above all, what will we do today? Like the blind man, do we know how to see the good and to be grateful for the gifts we receive? I ask myself: How is my dignity? How is your dignity? Do we bear witness to Jesus, or do we spread criticism and suspicion instead? Are we free when faced with prejudices or do we associate ourselves with those who spread negativity and gossip? Are we happy to say that Jesus loves us, that he saves us, or, like the parents of the man born blind, do we allow ourselves to be caged in by the fear of what others will think? Tepid hearts that do not accept the truth and do not have the courage to say, “No, it’s like this”. And furthermore, how do we welcome the difficulties and indifference of others? How do we welcome people who have many limitations in life, whether they be physical, like this blind man, or social, like the beggars we find on the street? Do we accept them as a curse or as an occasion to draw near to them with love? Brothers and sisters, today, let us ask for the grace to be surprised every day by God’s gifts and to see the various circumstances of life, even the most difficult ones to accept, as occasions to do good, as Jesus did with the blind man. May Our Lady help us in this, together with Saint Joseph, the just and faithful man.
FAUSTI - Jesus is not alone : there is the "we" of the disciples with whom He identifies Himself. They are His brethren, begotten by the Word of truth that makes free(Jh8:32), sons capable of doing, like Him, the works of the Father on favor of the brethren. This "we" is contrasted with the final "we" of the blind Pharisees who do the works of their father, lying and murderous from the beginning. The term "must " is connected with the work par excellence , when the Son of Man, lifted up, will give Life to the world (3:14). The day is the one when Jesus came, the one whom Abraham saw and rejoiced (8:56). While He lives, the Son does the works of the Father. The time of His earthly life is the day that enlightened and illuminates every man, showing him His reality. Night represents the end of His day, when darkness will capture the light. Night is the condition of the world without Him, His Light ;it is the very condition from which the blind man will be delivered. Jesus' life on earth, from His birth to His glorification, is Light of the world, for all and forever. With these Words Jesus presents Himself as the servant of YHWH, Light of the nations, who opens the eyes of the blind.( Is 42:6... 49:6...). As long as He is in the world, He manifests the Father's Love to His brothers and sisters. The miracle that follows is the "sign" of Jesus as the Light of the world. He made mud with spit. The gesture recalls the creation of man, made from the ground (Gen. 2:7). But it is a new creation that Jesus places before the eyes of the blind man : the mud is no longer mixed with water , but with the Spirit. This is the original plan of God, who made Adam with the ground animated by His breath : He made him His son. Man is a singular animal : he is related to the earth and the heaven, sharing in the characteristics of creation and at the same time in the Creator. This condition makes him essentially "eccentric" : his body is ground, but his heart lies elsewhere. God himself, the Other than everything, is his life ; therefore he makes himself a stranger to everything and, although he is in the world, he is not of the world. Mud, however, also recalls perdition , sinking in the mud, like Jeremiah in the cistern, is the worst experience ( Jer.38:6). But who can remove from the mire of death the man who is mire and sinks in it , if not that mire which is impregnated with Spirit and Life? His mud, Jesus' mud, is His humanity, similar to ours, but also divine. He is both man and God, the Son who lives by the same Spirit as the Father. His Flesh is the messianic anointing that restores to all flesh its full humanity . "His" mud is God's humanity, saving us from the mud in which we drown. Jesus does not heal the blind man. He commands him, like Elisha to the leper, to go and wash (2 Kings 5:10). He has placed His mud over his eyes, set before him the new man. It is now up to the blind man to say yes or no to the proposal . His life depends on his freedom to hear the Word or not. Faith is man's free response to God's liberating plan.
--> His knowledge of Jesus as "That Man" becomes ever clearer and deeper...Jesus in fact is the Light of the world : His mud, earth mixed with spittle, is His humanity as Son of Man and Son of God, which, placed before our eyes, enlightens us about the truth of man and God; the faith that saves is precisely listening to the Word that immerses us in the Son, sent by the Father to the brethren. Outward healing is a sign of inward healing. This comes through the dialogue that explains and makes happen, both in the blind man and in those who read with his eyes, reality without prejudice. In the dialogue that follows, the Word, Light of men, as soon as it shines in the eyes of the blind man who witnesses it, confronts the voices of darkness. Now begin the former blind man's interrogations, beginning with neighbors and associates to whom his former condition was well known. For those used to seeing him sitting and begging, the new situation poses a problem . Is it him or someone else? His previous condition is described by the words "sitting" and "begging": he was immobile and dependent on others. Now, however, he walks and is free. What is his identity? It is important how the other sees me : I am as I am seen. Man is relationship , and relationship changes when the other also sees me other than how he has seen me before, otherwise I remain nailed to his previous judgment, his pre-judgment, precisely. Every true identity is dynamic and vital ; otherwise it is false and deadly. The former blind man can now say : "I am," using Jesus' expression to indicate himself.(4:26-6:20 -8:24...). The light has enlightened him . He himself is light, for his Light has come (IS. 60:1). But opposition and difficulties are for the former blind man like "birth pangs" : they expel him permanently from darkness to Light. Thus he is born as a disciple, ready for the encounter and able to recognize in that man, Who healed him the Lord Himself. The opposition of the leaders has the opposite effect and will make the former blind man see better : he will understand that THE GLORY OF GOD IS THE LIVING MAN. To the "we know" of the leaders, he opposes the "I know" of a man who sees and does not want to renounce saying what he knows.
First Reading:
RispondiElimina1 Samuel 16: 1, 6-7, 10-13
1 And the Lord said to Samuel: fill thy horn with oil, and come, that I may send thee to Isai the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord’s anointed before him?
7 And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.
10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these.
11 And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12 He sent therefore and brought him Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
1 The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
2 He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:
3a He hath converted my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
3b He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake.
4 For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
5 Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.
Thou hast anointed my head with oil; and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
6 And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Second Reading:
Ephesians 5: 8-14
8 For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light.
9 For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth;
10 Proving what is well pleasing to God:
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.
13 But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light; for all that is made manifest is light.
John 8: 12
Elimina12 I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Gospel: John 9: 1-41
1 And Jesus passing by, saw a man, who was blind from his birth:
2 And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?
3 Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had said these things, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and spread the clay on his eyes,
7 And said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloe, which is interpreted, Sent. He went therefore, and washed, and he came seeing.
8 The neighbours therefore, and they who had seen him before that he was a beggar, said: Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said: This is he.
9 But others said: No, but he is like him. But he said: I am he.
10 They said therefore to him: How were thy eyes opened?
11 He answered: That man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see.
12 And they said to him: Where is he? He saith: I know not.
13 They bring him that had been blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was the sabbath, when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Again therefore the Pharisees asked him, how he had received his sight. But he said to them: He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see.
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said: This man is not of God, who keepeth not the sabbath. But others said: How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
17 They say therefore to the blind man again: What sayest thou of him that hath opened thy eyes? And he said: He is a prophet.
18 The Jews then did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight,
19 And asked them, saying: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered them, and said: We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But how he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: ask himself: he is of age, let him speak for himself.
22 These things his parents said, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had already agreed among themselves, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore did his parents say: He is of age, ask himself.
24 They therefore called the man again that had been blind, and said to him: Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.
25 He said therefore to them: If he be a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.
Elimina26 They said then to him: What did he to thee? How did he open thy eyes?
27 He answered them: I have told you already, and you have heard: why would you hear it again? will you also become his disciples?
28 They reviled him therefore, and said: Be thou his disciple; but we are the disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses: but as to this man, we know not from whence he is.
30 The man answered, and said to them: Why, herein is a wonderful thing, that you know not from whence he is, and he hath opened my eyes.
31 Now we know that God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth his will, him he heareth.
32 From the beginning of the world it hath not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind.
33 Unless this man were of God, he could not do any thing.
34 They answered, and said to him: Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said to him: Dost thou believe in the Son of God?
36 He answered, and said: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?
37 And Jesus said to him: Thou hast both seen him; and it is he that talketh with thee.
38 And he said: I believe, Lord. And falling down, he adored him.
39 And Jesus said: For judgment I am come into this world; that they who see not, may see; and they who see, may become blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees, who were with him, heard: and they said unto him: Are we also blind?
41 Jesus said to them: If you were blind, you should not have sin: but now you say: We see. Your sin remaineth.
RispondiEliminaThe words of the Popes
Let us reflect briefly on the account of the man born blind (Jn 9: 1-41). According to the common mentality of the time, the disciples take it for granted that his blindness was the result of a sin committed by him or his parents. Jesus, however, rejects this prejudice and says: "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him" (Jn 9: 3).What comfort these words offer us! They let us hear the living voice of God, who is provident and wise Love! In the face of men and women marked by limitations and suffering, Jesus did not think of their possible guilt but rather of the will of God who created man for life. (…) Jesus reveals to the blind man whom he had healed that he had come into the world for judgement, to separate the blind who can be healed from those who do not allow themselves to be healed because they consider themselves healthy. Indeed, the temptation to build himself an ideological security system is strong in man: even religion can become an element of this system, as can atheism or secularism, but in letting this happen one is blinded by one's own selfishness. Let us allow ourselves to be healed by Jesus, who can and wants to give us God's light! Let us confess our blindness, our shortsightedness, and especially what the Bible calls the "great transgression" (cf. Ps 19[18]: 13): pride. (Benedict XVI - Angelus, 2 March 2008)
The Lenten journey that we are taking is a special time of grace during which we can experience the gift of the Lord’s kindness to us. The Liturgy of this Sunday, called “Laetare”, invites us to be glad and rejoice as the Entrance Antiphon of the Eucharistic celebration proclaims: “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts” (cf. Is 66: 10-11).
EliminaWhat is the profound reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel in which Jesus heals a man blind from birth tells us. The question which the Lord Jesus asks the blind man is the high point of the story: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (Jn 9:35). The man recognizes the sign worked by Jesus and he passes from the light of his eyes to the light of faith: “Lord, I believe!” (Jn 9:38).
It should be noted that as a simple and sincere person he gradually completes the journey of faith. In the beginning he thinks of Jesus as a “man” among others, then he considers him a “prophet” and finally his eyes are opened and he proclaims him “Lord”. In opposition to the faith of the healed blind man is the hardening of the hearts of the Pharisees who do not want to accept the miracle because they refuse to receive Jesus as the Messiah. Instead the crowd pauses to discuss the event and continues to be distant and indifferent. Even the blind man’s parents are overcome by the fear of what others might think.
And what attitude to Jesus should we adopt? Because of Adam’s sin we too are born “blind” but in the baptismal font we are illumined by the grace of Christ. Sin wounded humanity and destined it to the darkness of death, but the newness of life shines out in Christ, as well as the destination to which we are called. In him, reinvigorated by the Holy Spirit, we receive the strength to defeat evil and to do good.
In fact the Christian life is a continuous conformation to Christ, image of the new man, in order to reach full communion with God. The Lord Jesus is the “light of the world” (Jn 8:12), because in him shines “the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Cor 4:6) that continues in the complex plot of the story to reveal the meaning of human existence.
In the rite of Baptism, the presentation of the candle lit from the large Paschal candle, a symbol of the Risen Christ, is a sign that helps us to understand what happens in the Sacrament. When our lives are enlightened by the mystery of Christ, we experience the joy of being liberated from all that threatens the full realization.
In these days which prepare us for Easter let us rekindle within us the gift received in Baptism, that flame which sometimes risks being extinguished. Let us nourish it with prayer and love for others. Let us entrust our Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church so that all may encounter Christ, Saviour of the world. BENEDICT XVI ANGELUS 3 April 2011
P. FRANCIS - ANGELUS 19 March 2023
EliminaToday, the Gospel depicts Jesus giving sight to a man blind from birth (cf. Jn 9:1-41). However, this wonder is badly received by various people and groups. Let us look at the details.
But first I would like to say to you: take the Gospel of John today and read about this miracle of Jesus. The way John recounts it in chapter 9 is really beautiful. It only takes two minutes to read it. It makes us see how Jesus proceeds and how the human heart proceeds: the good human heart, the tepid human heart, the fearful human heart, the courageous human heart. Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John. Read it today. It will help you a lot. And how do the people welcome this sign?
First of all, there are Jesus’ disciples who, faced with the man born blind, engage in small talk and ask themselves whether his parents or he was to blame (cf. v. 2). They look for a culprit. And we fall into this many times which is so convenient — to look for a culprit rather than asking ourselves challenging questions in life. And today, we can say: What does the presence of this person mean for us, in my life? What is he asking of us?
Then, once the healing takes place, the reactions intensify. The first are from his neighbours who are sceptical: “This man was always blind. It is not possible that he now sees — it can’t be him! It’s someone else” — scepticism (cf. vv. 8-9). This is unacceptable to them. Better to leave everything like it was before and not face this problem (cf. v. 16). They are afraid, they fear the religious authorities and they do not say what they think (cf. vv. 18-21). In all these reactions, for various reasons, there emerge hearts closed before the sign of Jesus: because they seek a culprit, because they do not know how to be surprised, because they do not want to change, because they are blocked by fear. Today there are many similar situations. Faced with something that is truly a person’s message of witness, a message about Jesus, we fall into this — we look for another explanation, we do not want to change, we look for a more elegant way out rather than accept the truth.
The only person who reacts well is the blind man. Happy to see, he bears witness to what happened to him in the simplest way: “I was blind, now I see” (v. 25). He tells the truth. Before, he had been forced to ask for alms to live on, and had suffered from the prejudice of the people: “He is poor and blind from birth. He has to suffer. He has to pay for his sins or those of his forebears”. Now free in body and spirit, he bears witness to Jesus — he neither invents nor hides anything. “I was blind, now I see”. He is not afraid of what the others will say. He had already known the bitter taste of marginalization his whole life. He had already personally experienced the indifference, the contempt of the passers-by, of those who considered him to be an outcast in society, useful at best for the pious practice of giving some alms. Now healed, he no longer fears those contemptuous attitudes because Jesus has given him his full dignity. And this is clear, it always happens: when Jesus heals us, he gives us back our dignity, the dignity of the healing of Jesus, complete, a dignity that comes forth from the depths of the heart, that takes hold of one’s entire life. And, on the sabbath in front of everyone, Jesus liberated him and gave him sight without asking him for anything, not even a thank you, and he bears witness to this. This is the dignity of a noble person, of a person who knows he is healed and begins again, is reborn. That rebirth in life that they spoke about today on “A Sua Immagine”: to be reborn.
--->Brothers, sisters, through all these characters, today’s Gospel puts us too in the midst of the scene, so we can ask ourselves: What position do we take? What would we have said then? And above all, what will we do today? Like the blind man, do we know how to see the good and to be grateful for the gifts we receive? I ask myself: How is my dignity? How is your dignity? Do we bear witness to Jesus, or do we spread criticism and suspicion instead? Are we free when faced with prejudices or do we associate ourselves with those who spread negativity and gossip? Are we happy to say that Jesus loves us, that he saves us, or, like the parents of the man born blind, do we allow ourselves to be caged in by the fear of what others will think? Tepid hearts that do not accept the truth and do not have the courage to say, “No, it’s like this”. And furthermore, how do we welcome the difficulties and indifference of others? How do we welcome people who have many limitations in life, whether they be physical, like this blind man, or social, like the beggars we find on the street? Do we accept them as a curse or as an occasion to draw near to them with love?
EliminaBrothers and sisters, today, let us ask for the grace to be surprised every day by God’s gifts and to see the various circumstances of life, even the most difficult ones to accept, as occasions to do good, as Jesus did with the blind man. May Our Lady help us in this, together with Saint Joseph, the just and faithful man.
FAUSTI - Jesus is not alone : there is the "we" of the disciples with whom He identifies Himself. They are His brethren, begotten by the Word of truth that makes free(Jh8:32), sons capable of doing, like Him, the works of the Father on favor of the brethren.
RispondiEliminaThis "we" is contrasted with the final "we" of the blind Pharisees who do the works of their father, lying and murderous from the beginning.
The term "must " is connected with the work par excellence , when the Son of Man, lifted up, will give Life to the world (3:14). The day is the one when Jesus came, the one whom Abraham saw and rejoiced (8:56). While He lives, the Son does the works of the Father. The time of His earthly life is the day that enlightened and illuminates every man, showing him His reality.
Night represents the end of His day, when darkness will capture the light.
Night is the condition of the world without Him, His Light ;it is the very condition from which the blind man will be delivered.
Jesus' life on earth, from His birth to His glorification, is Light of the world, for all and forever. With these Words Jesus presents Himself as the servant of YHWH, Light of the nations, who opens the eyes of the blind.( Is 42:6... 49:6...). As long as He is in the world, He manifests the Father's Love to His brothers and sisters.
The miracle that follows is the "sign" of Jesus as the Light of the world. He made mud with spit. The gesture recalls the creation of man, made from the ground (Gen. 2:7). But it is a new creation that Jesus places before the eyes of the blind man : the mud is no longer mixed with water , but with the Spirit. This is the original plan of God, who made Adam with the ground animated by His breath : He made him His son. Man is a singular animal : he is related to the earth and the heaven, sharing in the characteristics of creation and at the same time in the Creator.
This condition makes him essentially "eccentric" : his body is ground, but his heart lies elsewhere. God himself, the Other than everything, is his life ; therefore he makes himself a stranger to everything and, although he is in the world, he is not of the world. Mud, however, also recalls perdition , sinking in the mud, like Jeremiah in the cistern, is the worst experience ( Jer.38:6). But who can remove from the mire of death the man who is mire and sinks in it , if not that mire which is impregnated with Spirit and Life? His mud, Jesus' mud, is His humanity, similar to ours, but also divine. He is both man and God, the Son who lives by the same Spirit as the Father.
His Flesh is the messianic anointing that restores to all flesh its full humanity .
"His" mud is God's humanity, saving us from the mud in which we drown. Jesus does not heal the blind man. He commands him, like Elisha to the leper, to go and wash (2 Kings 5:10).
He has placed His mud over his eyes, set before him the new man. It is now up to the blind man to say yes or no to the proposal . His life depends on his freedom to hear the Word or not.
Faith is man's free response to God's liberating plan.
--> His knowledge of Jesus as "That Man" becomes ever clearer and deeper...Jesus in fact is the Light of the world : His mud, earth mixed with spittle, is His humanity as Son of Man and Son of God, which, placed before our eyes, enlightens us about the truth of man and God; the faith that saves is precisely listening to the Word that immerses us in the Son, sent by the Father to the brethren.
EliminaOutward healing is a sign of inward healing. This comes through the dialogue that explains and makes happen, both in the blind man and in those who read with his eyes, reality without prejudice. In the dialogue that follows, the Word, Light of men, as soon as it shines in the eyes of the blind man who witnesses it, confronts the voices of darkness.
Now begin the former blind man's interrogations, beginning with neighbors and associates to whom his former condition was well known. For those used to seeing him sitting and begging, the new situation poses a problem . Is it him or someone else? His previous condition is described by the words "sitting" and "begging": he was immobile and dependent on others.
Now, however, he walks and is free. What is his identity? It is important how the other sees me : I am as I am seen. Man is relationship , and relationship changes when the other also sees me other than how he has seen me before, otherwise I remain nailed to his previous judgment, his pre-judgment, precisely. Every true identity is dynamic and vital ; otherwise it is false and deadly.
The former blind man can now say : "I am," using Jesus' expression to indicate himself.(4:26-6:20 -8:24...). The light has enlightened him . He himself is light, for his Light has come (IS. 60:1).
But opposition and difficulties are for the former blind man like "birth pangs" : they expel him permanently from darkness to Light.
Thus he is born as a disciple, ready for the encounter and able to recognize in that man, Who healed him the Lord Himself.
The opposition of the leaders has the opposite effect and will make the former blind man see better : he will understand that
THE GLORY OF GOD IS THE LIVING MAN.
To the "we know" of the leaders, he opposes the "I know" of a man who sees and does not want to renounce saying what he knows.
https://salmiognigiorno.blogspot.com/2024/08/salmo-23.html
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