THEME: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE ON US OH LORD, THAT WE MAY SEE

(1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13, Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9.1-41)

The ability to rejoice amidst sorrowful circumstances is only possible for the person of faith, the individual who is granted the privilege of seeing things from God’s perspective.  In the First Reading, Samuel was sent by God to the house of Jesse to search for and anoint a replacement for King Saul. It happened that all the sons of Jesse were rejected save David, “the youngest” who was not even present when Samuel arrived but was “out looking after the sheep”. God’s choices are not the same as ours and are not dependent on sights and appearances.

In the Second Reading, Paul urges us to have nothing again to do with darkness but to behave in such a way that the light we have received will illuminate others and in that way turns them into light. For Paul if we have encountered Christ (which we are called to do within this season of lent), then we should strive to live good and truthful lives as men and women of light.

And in the Gospel today, Jesus restored sight to a man who was born blind. Christ conferred on him, not only his physical sight but also his spiritual sight; he opened his inner eyes of faith and radiated his light into the mind and heart of the blind man, so that the blind man believed in Jesus as the Son of Man.

We too received the same gift of faith at our baptism, a faith without which there is neither hope nor love, for it alone grasps meaning, in the midst of the meaningless; a faith that sings like a bird while the dawn is still dark; for it can turn away any course, light any path, relieve any distress, bring joy out of sorrow, heaven out of hell, comfort out of affliction, hope out of hopeless situation, calmness in the midst of fears/worries, and healing out of the global pandemic.

God chose David as king, in spite of his shabby appearance, because he was a man according to his own heart (1 Sam. 16:12).We are the children of the light, not because we are able to distinguish in daylight a deer from a moose but because we can recognise in our neighbours our won brothers and sisters. We are the children of light if we produce every kind of goodness, justice, love and compassion, and commit ourselves to these values with courage, a courage that is grace under pressure.  

As we continue to pray for God’s healing on the whole world from covid-19, observing social distancing, don’t allow it grow deep into your hearts. Keep others, one another close to your hearts; reach out by phone call or message and know how your neighbours are doing. Support one another and do not allow your fears outnumber the danger.  We pray God to bestow us with healing and Light that He Himself is.

MAY GOD KEEP US ALL

HAPPY SUNDAY!