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4^th Sunday in Lenten Season – Year A

甲年，四旬期第四主日

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

甘天霖神父

Gospel: John 9:1-41 (若望福音9：1-41)

As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, 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." So they said to him, "(So) how were your eyes opened?" He replied, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went there and washed and was able to see." And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know." 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." Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" His parents answered and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; question him." So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner." He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" They ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." The man answered and said to them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything." 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. Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind." Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,' so your sin remains.

Homily: There’s a light that never sets

In the story of the man born blind every Christian can easily recognize one’s own story. Before meeting Christ he was blind, then the Master gave him his sight. He enlightened him in the water of the baptismal font. It is symbolic of the journey to faith!

At the time of Jesus it was believed that in his infinite justice God would reward the good and would punish the wicked already in this world in proportion to their works. To explain the birth of a disabled person, it was even supposed that he had sinned in the mother’s womb. For Jesus, the blind man is not guilty of being born so.

The method used for healing is strange: mud, saliva… Jesus adapts to the mentality of the people of his time who believed that saliva is a concentration of breath, of the spirit, of the strength of a person. By breath, the Spirit of Jesus, the new and enlightened man is born, reminding us with the imagery of the creation of Adam.

The blind man is asked to wash in the water of “Siloam,” meaning “sent.” The reference to Jesus—the One sent by the Father—is explicit. He is God’s water, that which was promised to the Samaritan woman, who cures the man’s blindness.

After the healing, even his neighbors do not recognize him. The water which is the word of Christ has changed him so much and opened his eyes. It made him discover how meaningless the life he led was. It created a new and enlightened man.

The starting point of the spiritual journey of the disciple is the awareness of not knowing Christ and to feel the need to know something more. That is why the blind man confesses that he does not know the man who healed him.

The position taken by Pharisees is a reminder of the danger of anyone who starts to know Christ. He clings to his own securities and convictions. He stubbornly refuses any change and will remain a slave to the darkness. The blind man who is conscious of “not knowing” instead believes that Jesus is a prophet.

His parents show fear to stand by the blind man. It is the story of every disciple. He is no longer understood, is abandoned and sometimes even betrayed by the people most dear to him. In the replies to the final questions of the authorities we can grasp the characteristics that distinguish those who are enlightened by Christ.

The disciple is, first of all, free. He does not sell his head to anyone. He confesses what he thinks. “He is a prophet” in spite of the Pharisees pushing him to call Jesus a sinner.

The disciple is brave. He rejects any form of subservience, not intimidated by those who abuse their power when they insult, threaten, and resort to violence (vv. 24ff).

The disciple is sincere. He does not renounce the faith and is committed to the truth even when this is uncomfortable, or not welcomed by those who are at the top, who are used to getting approvals and applause from flatterers.

证道：自由勇敢真诚的门徒，成为新而受光照之人！

在胎生瞎子的故事中，每个基督徒都能很容易意识到属于个人的故事。在遇到基督之前，他是瞎子；然后，主给他主的光。主用洗礼池中的水照亮了他。这是信德旅程的象征。

在耶稣的时代，人们相信：在天主无限的正义中，会奖赏善人，也会惩罚恶人，并且在这个世界中一直与他们的所作所为成正比。要解释一个残疾人的出生，甚至有人说他是在母胎中已经犯了罪。为耶稣来说，瞎子生来如此是无罪的。

耶稣用来治愈的方法有点奇怪：泥、唾沫等。耶稣使自己适应了当时人们的心态，当时的人认为唾液是呼吸、精神和力量的集中。借着呼气，耶稣的圣神，使新而受光照的人得以诞生，提醒我们亚当受造的情形。

瞎子被邀请去史罗亚池洗洗，史罗亚的意思是“派遣”。此处提及为耶稣这位受天父派遣者，是明确表明的。祂是天主的水，就是那许诺给撒玛黎雅妇人的水，也是治愈此人眼瞎的水。

瞎子获得治愈之后，以至于他的邻居也不认不出他来了。这水就是基督的话，已经使他发生了很多转变，并开启了他的眼睛。这使他发现他过的生活是多么没有意义。不过，这创造了一个新而受光照的人。

门徒灵性旅程的起点就是意识到不认识基督，并感到想要认识更多的需要。这就是为何瞎子承认自己并不认识那个治好他的人。

法利塞人的立场是提醒那开始认识基督的人。他坚守自己的安全感和理念，并固执地拒绝任何改变，并将一直成为黑暗的奴隶。瞎子意识到“不认识”，反而相信耶稣是个先知。

 瞎子的父母站在他面前显得惧怕。这是每个门徒的故事：他不再被理解，被人抛弃，甚至被他最近人的人所背叛。在对当局最后问题的回答中，我们能够抓住和区别那些被基督所光照者的三个特点。

一、 门徒首先是自由的。他并没有把自己的头脑卖给任何人。他承认自己所思所想。尽管法利塞人逼他说耶稣是个罪人，但是他说“耶稣是个先知”。

二、门徒是勇敢无畏的。他拒绝任何形式的奉承，当他们遭受侮辱、威胁和诉诸暴力时，不会被那些滥用权力的人所吓倒。

三、门徒是真诚而忠心的。他不会放弃信德，并承认真理，甚至是这会让他不舒服、或者不被那些上层人欢迎时也在所不惜，而那些上层人士习惯于从谄媚者那里得到赞许和掌声。