4th Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

Our readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent Cycle A are:

1. 1 Samuel 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a
2. Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 69
3. Ephesians 5: 8-14
4. John 9: 1-41

• Seeing what God sees
• "Don't judge a book by its cover" is a familiar aphorism that never grows old because we so easily fall into that trap.
• Think of someone that you were very mistaken about at some point in your life.
• What was different about how you looked at them in the beginning versus how you eventually came to look at them?
• How did that transformation in your outlook change?
• How did that transformation in your outlook change you?
  

• Finding repose
• I somehow doubt that many of us identify much with sheep.  We like to think of ourselves as a bit more active about making our futures than that.  Perhaps a bit more intelligent too.
•  Think of a time when God met a deep need of yours in some unexpected way.
• Were you able to accept that immediately?
• Were you even looking for His help in the first place?
• What did you go through before you were able to really accept that help?
  

• Exposing the darkness
• St. Oscar Romero of El Salvador was featured the other day in The Little Black Book (a set of devotions for Lent) for fearlessly calling for an end to the violence and oppression going on in El Salvador at the time.  Hopefully, not all of us are called to be so outspoken in the midst of such violent oppression.  That's a very hard life to lead.
• What evil have you seen in your life?
• What did you feel called to do about it?
• Where did you find the courage?
• Would you do it again?
• Was your action successful?
• How do you know?
  

• Reacting or pondering
• I daresay that there is nothing so well fortified as a closed mind.  Thankfully, our God is a God of mercy, and He leads us in small steps, often along seemingly crooked paths, to see Him for who He really is, and who He wants to be in our lives.  That long slow process is often a great opportunity for growth.  And potentially very frustrating.
•  What are some of the transformations that have come along in your life as a disciple?
• Are any of those still ongoing?
• Do you wish that the process were over sooner, that you could get over that "awkward stage"?
• How will you know when it's over?
• Do we ever stop transforming in Jesus?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Whom might God be trying to show me in a new light?
• Where might God be inviting me towards gratitude?
• Is there someone in my life that God is calling me to serve/defend?
• Where might God be calling me to see Him/myself in a brand new way?

Now What?

Life as a beggar is hard.

You never know what will come your way from one day to the next.

Some passers-by pretend not to see you.

Others glance your way and hurry by.

Others casually throw a few coins in your basket and go about their business.

And once in a great while, someone will stop and actually talk to you.

 

Jesus and His disciples were different.

Jesus was not interested in the usual explanations for my condition.

He was in no hurry to be on His way.

He touched me, lavished time on me.

And healed me in a totally unexpected way.

And made me a scandal to my family, friends, and the local leaders.

 

I still miss the centuries-old community that I once knew.

For a long time I ached for my birth family,

The place where I grew up,

Even the patch of roadside that I had come to see as "my own".

But gradually, I realized that Jesus had given me so much more.

And I try to share that with everyone that I meet.

 

Hardly anyone believes that I was once blind.

That I once called the side of the road my home.

And that I found a measure of comfort there.

In the sure knowledge that blind I was born, and blind I would die.

Always subsisting on random acts of generosity -

From complete strangers.

 

Today, I try to tell others how Jesus changed my life.

Not just in giving me these new eyes.

But because He gave me new purpose.

And a new relationship to my creator.

One born of love rather than duty.

One founded in freedom rather than bondage.

 

This new sight still surprises me daily.

The ongoing revelation continuing to this day.

As I try to help others to open their eyes.

And leave behind whatever is blinding them today.

And I wonder where this journey might take me

As I continue to follow Jesus out of today's Egypt into His next promised land.

 

Shalom!