Lent 4 A

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Blind man.
7 Dialogues: notice titles for Jesus.
notice the attitudes and escalating conflict.

A) Jesus and the disciples:
Disciples: Rabbi was it his sin or his parents' that caused him to
be born blind?
Jesus: Neither

B) Neighbors and blind man:
Neighbors: Isn't this the fellow who used to sit and beg?
Some: yes.
Others: no, just looks like him.
Blind Man: I'm the one all right.
Neighbors: How were your eyes opened?
Blind man: That man they call Jesus...
Neighbors: Where is he?
Blind man: I have no idea.
"Next they took the man who had been born blind to the Pharisees.
Why didn't they look for Jesus?

C) Pharisees: how he had recovered his sight.
Blind man: He put mud on my eyes. I washed it off, and now I can
see.
Some Pharisees: cannot be from God, does not keep Sabbath. (ignore
the miracle, legalistic preoccupation, breaking Sabbath.)
Other Pharisees: If a sinner, how perform signs like these?
(Division).
Pharisees: Since it was your eyes he opened, what do you say about
him?
Blind man: He is a prophet. (Received sight and "insight".
"The Jews refused to believe that he had really been born blind and had
begun to see, until they summoned the parents.

D) Pharisees: (effect of three rapid fire questions?) "Is this your
son? Do you attest that he was blind at birth? How do you account for
the fact that he now can see?
Parents: We know this is our son, and we know he was blind at birth.
But how he can see or who opened his eyes, we have no idea. Ask him.
"A second time they summoned the man..." (what tone does summoned give
to the story?)

E) Pharisees: "Give glory to God! First of all, we know that this man
is a sinner." (intimidation, know it all attitude)
Blind man: "I would not know whether he is a sinner or not. I know
this much: I was blind before; now I can see.
They persisted: "Just what did he do to you? How did he open your
eyes?
Blind man: I have told you once, but you would not listen to me.
(heating up more confrontational) Why do you want to hear it all over
again? Do not tell me you want to become his disciples too. (sarcastic)
Pharisees: (retorted scornfully) "You are the one who is that man's
disciple. We are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we have no idea where this man comes from.
Blind man: (He came back at them) "Well this is news...God does not
hear sinners...if this man were not from God, he could never have dones
such a thing.
Pharisees: (they exclaimed) "What!" you are steeped in sin from your
birth, and you are giving us lectures." (name calling)
With that they threw him out bodily. (when all else fails turn to
physical violence)

F) When Jesus heard of his expulsion, he sought him out and asked him:
Jesus: Do you believe in the Son of man?
Blind man: Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him.
Jesus: You have seen him, he is speaking to you now.
Blind man: I do believe, Lord. (He bowed down to worship him.
Jesus: "I came into this world to divide it, to make the sightless
see and the seeing blind."

G) Some of the Pharisees around him picked this up saying:
Pharisees: You are not counting us in with the blind, are you?
(want a certain answer, "don't you think? takes away some of the
freedom.)
Jesus: If you were blind there would be no sin in that. But we see
you say, and your sin remains. (Not innocent physically blind willing to
accept the testimony of others, but seeing know it alls, spiritually
blind sinners.)

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Development of Homily:
l) Go through the various names, titles used for Jesus.
2) Look at different attitudes of the people and dynamics that
follow:
a) disciples (mistaken)
b) neighbors (divided)
c) blind man and pharisees (legalistic, blind to miracle)
"refused to believe"; "summon his parents", three questions in rapid
fire order, "second time summon him", change from question to statement
"we know..." "...sinner..." THE NARRATOR GIVES THE FEELING AT TIMES BY THE THE DESCRIPTIVE WORDS HE USES, "they persisted" (skeptical, repeat same questions) (confrontational response of blind man), retorted scornfully
"we know...", he came back at them, they exclaimed (name calling,
accusation) "sinner", "threw him out bodily" (physical violence).
Jesus and pharisees, final dialogue. (two levels: physical
blindness, no; spiritual blindness ("we see") we know it all, yes.
d) blind man and Jesus. Contrast clear, open direct exchanges.

3) Jesus is the light of the world. (God's love is as certain as the dawn.)
a) as the sun shines its rays on us as on a beach, so the Son of
God shine on us, surround us, envelop us, help us to grow and heal.
(EXTERNAL).
b) light inside of us: light in our hearts, affect the words
that come out of our mouth, affect what we see (see injustice,
oppression, etc.), will lead to actions of a particular kind.

4) All of us have blind spots (manchas ciegueras).

5) Debbie Boone had a song that was very popular: YOU LIGHT UP MY
LIFE. "You light up my life, you give me hope to carry on, you light up
my days and fill my heart with love, so many ..." There was some
discussion about whether this song was directed to God or to some other
person. But it applies to both God (who lights up our life, gives us
hope to carry on, etc.) and to other people (who light up our life, give
us hope to carry on, etc.) and to us (we are to bring light to our world).