Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A

1 Sam. 16:1, 6-7, 10-13   Eph. 5:8-14   Jn. 9:1-41

Theme: Rejoice Jerusalem

On this fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday), the church reminds us that God does not judge by appearances as men judge; he looks at the heart. This was exemplified in the life of David in our first reading today. While Samuel and Jesse were looking at physical appearance like we do most times, God chose a man after his heart. Another important lesson worthy of note from the first reading for our consumption is that: no man has the power to deny us what God has destined for us. God’s plans and purpose always come to pass. Sometimes, humanly speaking, these plans and purposes seem obscure and delay in manifesting, but they most surely come to pass. This is why our people would say ‘delay is not denial’.

 

Consequently, the response to our Psalms today reminds us that, The Lord is our Shepherd; there is nothing we shall want. Therefore, we should put our absolute trust in him like David did. By so doing, we would make the assertions of St. Paul in the second reading more meaningful in our lives. Like the people of Ephesus, Paul is reminding us that we are children of the light, because we are the children of God. Thus, our deeds should be that of light and no longer of darkness. This is because Jesus has ransomed us all with his blood by bringing us out of darkness into his own wonderful light. It is now our duty to ensure that we remain in the light of God, through our words and actions. Like the first reading tells us, “The fruit of light is found in all that is good, right and true”. This brings us to a very important question. Are your deeds of the light? Can you proudly own your deeds wherever you find yourself? We should ponder on these questions especially during this season of God’s grace.

 

In the gospel from St John, we are presented with the story of the man that was born blind. This gave rise to a very important question. Who is responsible for the man’s blindness, is it the sins of the parents or that of the man? Jesus answered by saying that, it is not the sins of the parents or that of the man, but that God’s work would be made manifest in his life. This answer of Jesus may help us to resolve some challenges that we face sometimes in our lives. It is not everything that happens to us that should be connected to evil. There are some cases that have nothing to do with evil manipulations. Jesus is still going about in our own time, restoring people to good health. Even during this time of Corona virus, he is still capable of doing it for us. Interestingly, instead of celebrating with the blind man whose sight Jesus has restored, the Pharisees where more concerned that Jesus has broken the law of the Sabbath. Most times we behave like the Pharisees. However, we are called retrace our steps and go back to God. Then, our light will continue to shine like true children of God that we are called to be. It is my prayer that God will grant us the grace to be true ambassadors for Christ, wherever we find ourselves. Amen. Peace be with you!

 

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent year A, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp