Today we have the great faith story of the Man Born Blind, John 9:1-41, who is
healed by Jesus. Similar to the steps the Samaritan Woman took last week, the blind man goes through different stages of faith. Jesus is first a man (verse 11). Next he declares that Jesus is a prophet (verse 17). Then he says Jesus must be a man of God to have healing powers (verse 33). The blind man speaks with Jesus and believes that he is the “Son of Man,” a title for the Messiah to come (verse 35), and the Lord (verse38). Consider your own faith journey: Have I gone through different stages in my belief about Jesus? What do I believe about Jesus today?
The physical cure of blindness leads us to thoughts of all the ways we are spiritually blind. Jesus brings light into all the areas of our impaired vision, judgements we make, prejudices we may have, preconceptions, assumptions, or distortions of the truth. Today’s Gospel supports reflection on our beliefs: How can the light of Christ bring light into my life?
We need the Light of Jesus to help us find the truth about people, systems, and even about ourselves. There are so many opinions out there on all of our media outlets. We need discernment to sort the light from the darkness. We need one another, our community, to help us recognize what is right and good. As the Ephesians reading (5:8-14) tells us today, “Live as children of the light.”
God chooses the unexpected in our First Reading, 1 Sam 16. David is the youngest and least likely, but he is God's choice for king. Consider: What unexpected things does God do in my life? We pray Psalm 23, a surefire comfort as we call to mind God’s care for us.
The Collect today reminds us to have “eager faith” as we prepare for Easter. The Preface asks us to remember that through Christ’s Incarnation (coming to birth as a human being) “he has led the human race that walked in darkness into the radiance of the faith.” So, our faith is both eager (keen, enthusiastic, willing) and radiant (resplendent, joyful, glowing).
The Prayer Over the People sums up our prayer for this week of Lent: “Look upon those who call to you, O Lord, and sustain the weak; give life by your unfailing light to those who walk in the shadow of death, and bring those rescued by your mercy from every evil to reach the highest good.” Rescue me, Lord, by your mercy.
