HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A
Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi
Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday. It is so called from the
incipit of the introit at Mass. Laetare
means ‘rejoice.’ It is got from Isaiah 66:10; rejoice, O Jerusalem. It is used to denote the 4th
Sunday of the season of Lent. We must rejoice because God has made us children
of light. He has given us the grace of partaking in the light that he is.
Light is the first
created reality. It is the foundation of creation; and so carries all other
created realities upon itself. In Gen.1:3, the very first word God uttered was let there be light. The light came and
dispelled the darkness. Light is the foundational installation for development.
When God wanted to develop the material world, he started with the provision of
light. Going through the annals of human history, development and scientific
advancement is at its peak wherever and whenever there is a steady supply of
light. Some countries of the world experience development and more advancement
because of the effort they have made to make electricity constant, while some
others continue to mark time or even retrogress because of the less emphasis
they place on electricity. If you want development, provide light. If you want
vision, provide light. If you want resourcefulness in an economy, provide
light. Light opens the way for many good things. Just as this natural/material
light is indispensable for natural development, so too, the spiritual light is
indispensable for spiritual development. Just as we need the physical light for
vision and mobility, the spiritual light is needed for spiritual journey and
mobility.
We are called to walk
as children of light. And so, the light that we are makes the might in us. Christ offers us the light and expects us to
walk in the light. This is the central message of the Second Reading (Eph.
5:8-14). Walking in the light implies taking no part in the unfruitful works of
darkness. As the light gives us the might, we are meant to dismantle the handiwork
of the devil and erect a more suitable place for God on earth.
Jesus is the light for our
blind eyes. In the Gospel (John 9:1-41), we see how Jesus as the light of the
world restored the eyes of the man born blind. One first issue which needs to
be clarified is the peculiarity of the story in the whole of the four Gospels.
This is the only miracle in the Gospel in which the sufferer was said to have
been afflicted from his birth. The storyline presents him as a known blind
figure. This man had suffered blindness from birth. The people had the
assumption that wherever suffering exists, somewhere there was sin. Thus, they
had to ask Jesus whether the blindness of the man was as a result of his sin or
the parents. Jesus however departed from their thinking and told them that the
man’s affliction came to him to give an opportunity of showing what God can do.
The miracles are the
sign of the glory and the power of God, for the Evangelist John. Moments of
suffering, sorrow, misery and pains are there as great opportunities for the
demonstration of God’s grace. It is when life hits us so terribly that we can
show the world how a Christian can live and die. When we are blinded by the
vicissitudes of this life, there is someone who is the light that continually
assures us that as long as he is in the world, he is the light of the world.
Now, when Jesus made this statement, he does not talk about his momentary stay
as a human being on earth. Remember, he said: for I am with you till the end of
time (cf. John). There is no time when Jesus is not with us and is not in the
world.
When the Pharisees
heard of what has happened, they tried in prejudice to verify from the parents
and the man himself. Their verification was meant to disprove the fact that the
man was born not in sin. When Jesus met him the second time, he reiterated that
he came so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become
blind. What does this statement mean? Anyone who comes to Jesus must be aware
of his blindness so that he/she can get healing. When we are conscious of our
blindness and long to see better and to know more, then can our eyes be opened
to see clearer the truth about God. But when we think we know it all and do not
realize that we cannot see, we become truly blind and beyond hope and help. Realizing
our weakness makes us strong as realizing our blindness makes us to see. When we
realize our sins, we are forgiven. Another point is that the more a man has
knowledge the more he must recognize the good when he sees it. Some intimidate
others because of the knowledge they have acquired. That intimidation is a sign
of blindness –the blindness of faith. We must learn to use our knowledge in the
most appropriate way.
The light dispels the
darkness of fear and timidity. I am encouraged by the courage with which the
man answered and interacted with the Pharisees. He showed great knowledge in
his belief about God and about the handiwork of God. He was so sure that only
the one who listens to and does the will can have the grace to perform so high
a miracle. Hence, the divine light became for his might. We must be very
courageous to defend our faith whenever God clears our eyes. Many times, the
Lord clears our blindness in many ways. This blindness can be spiritual. We trivialize
many times the grace of God in our lives, and tend to appreciate the devil’s
show in the world. We must dispel this darkness which the devil tries to impose
on the world. Having dispelled the darkness of evil, our presence must be the
light for the world and others. Our faith must be defended by us with living as
the light of the world.
We notice too in the
First Reading that when one does the will of God, he is prone to see things not
in human eyes. At the Lord’s command, Samuel went to anoint a king in the house
of Jesse. On reaching, Jesse presented his sons whom he thought had kingly
qualities, but they were not accepted. It was only the little boy who had gone
into the field to shepherd the flock that the Lord chose. By human standard and
comparison, David was not to be the king. But by divine choice and decision, he
was elected to be king over all Israel. The one who has learnt how to shepherd
animals is better fit to shepherd human beings. David was anointed king.
As Christians, we all
are anointed. Just like David, we are anointed to become kings against the
pumps of the Devil. This anointing is the unction we need for our sojourn in
life. With this unction, we glim the more and grow even much shiner. I need
this Davidic anointing. You need it too. With Davidic anointing, we defeat. We become
victors. We become conquerors. May the Lord continually make us light to dispel
the darkness of the world and to become lights for others. If for any reason we
have been dimmed by sin, may God during this season of Lent use His hyssop of
Grace to cleanse us and make us shine more. Happy Laetare Sunday. Happy Mother's day. God bless
you.
DEDICATED TO ALL THE MOTHERS OUT-THERE...
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