OKAY, NOW I SEE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A, is, “Okay, Now I See.”
How many times in our lives have we said, “Okay, Now I See”?
“Okay, now I see what you’re getting at.”
“Okay, now I get it.”
“Okay, now I understand.”
“Okay, clear as a bell.”
THE THREE SCRUTINIES
As you know last Sunday, this Sunday, and next Sunday, those who are preparing for entrance into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, go through what is called “The Three Scrutinies.”
We’re getting closer and closer to Easter. They are getting closer and closer to a decisive moment in their life story.
Next Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Lent; the Sunday after that is Palm Sunday; and then the Sunday after that is Easter Sunday.
Down through the centuries in our Church, the readings for these 3 Sundays in Lent – are the same every year for those preparing for Baptism and entrance into our Church at the Easter Vigil. All 3 readings for these 3 Sundays are from the Gospel of John – and they were called, “The Johannine Lent.”
For the rest of the church in years B and C – we have different readings. So I had a different sermon at the 9 o’clock Mass this morning – because we are in Year C.
For those who are here for these 3 Sundays when our R.C.I.A. candidates, we use the A Readings. At these 3 Sundays we are asked to look at 3 key characters in the gospel of John: The Samaritan Woman last week, The Blind Man this week, and Lazarus, the Dead Man, next week.
The 3 themes are Water last week, Light this week, and Life next week.
Last week our candidates scrutinized, examined, pondered Christ as Living Water. What am I thirsting for? What do I long for? What am I going to the well for? The Samaritan woman discovered down deep, she was thirsting for the Living Water – Christ – and only Christ can satisfy our deepest thirst.
This week they are to scrutinize, examine, ponder Christ as Light. We no longer have to walk in darkness. We can see the light. We no longer have to be blind. Christ can take away our blindness. Christ can help us see. Our candidates are seriously searching for deeper meaning in their lives – and they heard Christ say loudly and clearly in today’s gospel, “I am the light of the world.”
Next week they will scrutinize, examine, ponder Christ as Life – Risen Life – Resurrection – that even though like Lazarus we die, like Lazarus we can come back to life again because of Christ. Besides scrutinizing for the past year their deepest hungers and thirsts, besides scrutinizing their desire for light, answers, meaning, they are also facing the question of death, that this life has term limits – and Christ is the Resurrection and Life.
That third scrutiny is next week with the story of Lazarus – who died.
THIS SUNDAY’S R.C.I. A’s READINGS
Let me get back to this second week and its readings.
This Sunday’s special R.C.I.A’s. readings certainly have the theme of seeing in them.
The First Reading from the First Book of Samuel has the message, “Do not judge from appearances – because the Lord looks into the heart.”
The Lord says to Samuel, “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
And as Samuel first sees Jesse’s 7 sons he says to himself, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is here before me.”
Surprise! He isn’t.
“Don’t judge by appearances.”
Then we hear the message: there are two ways of seeing – as we see and as God sees.
After seeing all 7 of Jesse’s sons and realizing the chosen one is not here, Samuel asks the question, “Are these all the sons you have?”
And Jesse says, “There is one more!”
Surprise.
“It’s the youngest. He’s not there. He’s out tending the sheep!”
And when David is brought to Samuel, he hears the Lord say, “There – anoint him, for this is the one!” Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers. Next comes one of the great lines of scripture, “from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.”
The Second Reading from Paul to the Ephesians has the seeing theme when it uses the image of light and darkness. Without light we cannot see. When we get up at night, don’t we turn on the light to see where we are going?
Paul says, “You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”
Then the closing words from today’s second reading – which some scholars think is a verse from an early baptismal hymn, “Awake O sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
And the gospel – the very long gospel from John about the Blind Man that we heard this morning has this theme of seeing big time.
It’s a long story and I hope you saw yourself as the Blind Man – that faith comes gradually. Faith takes time.
The blind man after he begins to see – is scrutinized over and over again by the Pharisees and he holds his own.
I hope you noticed that it’s in the second time he runs into Jesus that he is really scrutinized by Jesus. Jesus asks him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answers, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” And Jesus says to him, “You have seen him, and the one who is speaking to you is he.” And the blind man who now sees says, “I do believe, Lord.” and he falls down and worships Jesus.
Then notice the Pharisees at the end – still don’t see – still don’t get it.
Also notice in these three gospels, there are a lot of questions – one of John’s favorite tricks or techniques. Questions and questioning are the tricks and techniques of scrutinies.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully, we get Christ.
Hopefully, we realize he's the shepherd out there who is waiting to be asked inside our lives.
Hopefully, we noticed Christ too is born in Bethlehem – he’s the last Son, anoint him, choose him.
Hopefully, we have moments in our lives when we see.
A man in our parish who is a convert to Catholicism told me his moment was at the Atlantic Ocean – at the water – when he saw that Christ was the fullness he was looking for - as wide and as deep as the ocean in front of him. I’m sure he could relate to the woman at the well in last Sunday’s gospel.
Others I’m sure can relate to today’s main character, the Blind Man, and say, “Now I see. Now I believe.”
And I know a man in our parish who came back to the faith after many, many years because he came to a funeral here at St. John Neumann and he realized that he was going to die – like the person in the casket. And like Lazarus, and he wanted to wake up after his death, knowing Christ before he died.
Our R.C.I. A. candidates are scrutinizing these 3 characters.
I love it that the word scrutiny comes from the Latin word for “trash”, “scruta”. They have sorted – sorted through their life – finding out what’s worth while and what is to be thrown away.
My closing prayer for our R.C.I.A. candidates is from today’s first reading. For those of you who will receive baptism this Easter vigil, for those of you who will be confirmed this Easter Vigil, when you are anointed with the sacred oil, like when David was anointed in today’s first reading, I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you as well. Amen.
Painting on top: Jesus Heals the Blind Man, c. 1308-11 by Duccio di Buoninsegna 1255-1319, Siena
