Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

-


 

Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Gospel: John 9:1-38


"That man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see." -John 9:11

A man born blind is cured by Jesus.  Jesus spits on the ground to make clay, then rubs the clay in the blind man's eyes.  He tells the blind man to wash in the pool called Siloe, which means 'sent out.'  The man washes and comes out able to see, cured of his blindness.

    St. Augustine comments on this passage:

"Both the works and the word of our Lord Jesus Christ are to be marveled and wondered at: the works, because they were really accomplished, the words because they are signs.  If we consider the miracle of the man born blind we shall see that he represents the human race.  In the case of the first man, his blindness was brought about by sin, and from him we have all derived the seeds not only of our mortality, but also of our sinfulness.  If sin is become our second nature, then all men are born spiritually blind.

The Lord came.  What did he do?  He set before us a deep mystery.  He spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle, for the Word was made flesh.  Then He spread the clay on the blind man's eyes.  The man's eyes were covered with clay and he could not as yet see.  The Lord sent him to the pool called Siloe, a word which means 'sent out.'  You know well Who was sent.  If He had not been sent, not one of us would have been delivered from our sins.  The blind man washed his eyes in the pool with the name meaning 'sent out:' he was baptized in Christ."


"He went therefore and washed and came out seeing."

    The blind man washing represents the waters of baptism which wash us clean of original sin and infuses the supernatural gift of faith into our souls.  Baptism communicates the light of faith to us and 'opens our eyes.'  All men are born spiritually blind; Jesus came to deliver us from our sin; baptism washes our souls clean and opens our eyes to faith.

Then Jesus said to him: "Dost thou believe in the Son of God?" He answered, and said: "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" And Jesus said to him: "Thou hast both seen him; and it is he that talketh with thee." And he said: "I believe, Lord." And falling down, he adored him. - John 9:35-38


"and I will pour clean water on you, and you shall be cleaned from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols, and I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you."

 - Ezekiel 36:23-28

"Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes; cease to do perversely, learn to do well... if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow; and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool."

 - Isaiah 1:16-19


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homily Notes: 09-05-21 - The Feast of St. Pius X

-
Image
"Restore all things in Christ."        Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Pius X, our patron.       It is good to look back and see the first of St. Pius' encyclicals. This encyclical letter which began his pontificate gave the bishops his mission and goal which can be summed up in this short sentence: to restore all things in Christ.      It’s an interesting letter that we can profit from. At the beginning, he expresses his doubts — he says he sees the pontificate as a difficult burden that he can’t bear alone. He then says but I have accepted because I know it is from God, and God will help me to bear this burden and get through this difficulty. He didn’t jump into the pontificate thinking it would be a breeze but that it would be very difficult. We are often faced with difficult tasks — what is our response? Do we ask for divine help or do we just give up?      Why did he choose the name Pius? — he says “as I ...
Keep reading »»»

July 18 - St. Camillus

-
Image
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” - John 15 St. Camillus was born in Naples in 1550. His mother died when he was very young and his father barely acknowledged his existence. He grew up with an excessive love for gambling.   At age 17, he contracted a disease in his leg that left him with an incurable sore. He  suffered from it for the rest of his life. He went to Rome to be both a patient and servant at the “Hospital for Incurables.” After nine months, he was dismissed for being too quarrelsome. He joined the army and served as a Venetian soldier. He gambled and fought against the Turks until his regiment was disbanded in 1574. Now he was 24, unemployed, and penniless, having gambled away everything he had.  He accepted work at a Capuchin friary. There, a moving sermon began him on his path to conversion. From that point on, Camillus never strayed from his penitential path. He entered the Capuchins as a novitiate but was unable ...
Keep reading »»»

Saintly Wisdom: St. John Bosco

-
Image
  "Do not think that you live in the world to have fun, to become rich, to eat, drink and sleep. The end for which you were created in the first place is infinitely more noble and sublime, and it is this: to love and serve God in this life, and that way save your soul." - St. John Bosco “Let’s go on as we have done so far and leave everything in God’s hands. He will let us know when to change course.” - St. John Bosco
Keep reading »»»