Lenten Campaign 2025
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The Fourth Sunday of Lent has two sets of Gospel readings, one of which is used when someone in the parish will be baptized at the Easter Vigil.
When this happens, the priest or deacon will typically proclaim the Gospel of the man born blind.
As Jesus 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. (John 9:1-3)
One fascinating part of this Gospel passage is how Jesus reveals to them, "I am the light of the world" (John 9:5).
It is an important passage, as it provides another layer of symbolism in this story.
Open to be healed by God's light
Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this Bible reading on the Fourth Sunday of Lent in 2008. He pointed out how Jesus was separating those who wanted to be healed, from those who did not want to be healed:
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.
Many times we do not think that we are in need of healing, or that we are beyond hope and God can not heal the wounds in our soul.
The key for us is to be receptive to God's marvelous light and to allow that light to penetrate us deeply.
It's not easy, as it means tearing down the sins of selfishness and being vulnerable, open and ready to receive God's healing touch.
Pope Benedict XVI urges us all to let down our guard and to let God in:
Dear brothers and sisters, 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.
God wants to heal all of us, but he does not barge in and heal us without our permission.
We need to let him heal us, letting go of our own thoughts of pride or unworthiness.
