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Homilies - Bishop Brendan Leahy

Year A: Fourth Sunday in Lent

 

The blind man in today’s Gospel experiences two gifts – the gift of physical sight and then the gift of the light of faith. He is cured physically but then he comes to realise that Jesus is the Son of God. It was a whole new start for him in life. From that day onwards, not only would he see physically but he was called to be a child of the light, as the Second Reading puts it.

To be a child of the light is the vocation each of us has received. We live it out in various ways.

First, each day we’re called to believe that when we were baptised, we were given the gift of the light of Christ. We know that at Baptism, the parent and godparents light candles and hold the candle for part of the ceremony. We can think of many aspects of Jesus but the early Christians underlined Jesus as light. He gives a new meaning to life. We have a new take on our world.

Second, we need each day to believe that light has overcome the darkness. Jesus has had victory over death. No matter what situations of darkness, doubt or division we might see around us, we are called to believe in the love of God in all circumstances. God’s love is light. And certainly, dedicating time to prayer helps us in that. But there’s also a need each day and during the day, when negative thoughts or temptations occur to us and perhaps we fall in living the Christian life, we can always “begin again” to believe in love and to show love.

Third, to be children of the light is to be people who do works of goodness and truth as the Second Reading tells us. We must “be” the light that we have received in Baptism. We think today of mothers and all women who in one way or another “mother” others though the love and care that provides light for others. Michael Dowling from Knockaderry who emigrated to America and has become a major figure in healthcare there, has written his memoir which I read some time ago. It was striking how much he praised his mother’s influence in his life. He quoted her as saying “Don't ever let your circumstance impede your potential” and said it was her belief in him that got him on the road to major achievements in life.  

One final suggestion for today. Pope Francis recommends we take out the Bible or get it on our iphone and read this chapter 9 of John’s Gospel. It’ll do us go to read it slowly and let its words impact us.