Homily:
Fourth Sunday of Lent
March
10, 2002
Most
Reverend José H. Gomez
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
My sisters
and brothers in Christ:
“Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice
with her, you who mourned for her…” Entrance Antiphon today’s Mass
Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday from the opening words
of the Entrance Antiphon. The austerity of the Lenten liturgy
is broken with words of joy. The color of the vestments is rose,
if possible, and the altar can be adorned with flowers as no other
day in Lent.
“In this way the Church wishes to remind us that joy is perfectly
compatible with mortification and pain… we realize that approaching
the Cross also means that the moment of our Redemption is coming
ever closer … the joy of Easter will soon be upon us” In Conversation
with God, 2.26.1
All three Scripture readings today are about sight, not just physical
vision, but a spiritual vision, that through the eyes of faith,
the world should appear different.
The First reading from the first book of Samuel talks about David’s
anointing asking of Israel. In his election it is clear that God
sees things in a different way: “Not as man sees does God see, because
man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart” 1st Reading
of Today’s Mass: Sam. 16, 7.
David’s anointing was based not on human criterion but on God’s
Will. David was the youngest one and the others probably had better
qualities to be King of Israel, but “the Lord looks into the heart”.
There is a big difference in our life when we are able to see things
in a supernatural way.
If we have a Christian vision of life, things and events have meaning.
We come to the understanding of pain, death, suffering and real
joy. We have a clear vision of what we are, what we want, where
are we going, what's the Will of God for us.
We are able to understand the importance of practicing charity,
justice, and so forth. When we are able to provide those necessary
conditions for the grace of God to work on us, we can see the difference
immediately; our approach to life is different. We are more positive.
We get along with people. Life has meaning for us. We are living
our life as it should be lived: doing ordinary things but knowing
with certainty that we are giving glory to God.
Life is bright because “light produces every kind of goodness and
righteousness and truth…” 2nd reading of today’s Mass.
It is the light of Christ. Supernatural life. The Christian view
of life.
To have this supernatural outlook we need to have faith,
to believe that there is a supernatural end of our life. We also
need to make sure that we practice what we believe. This Lenten
season is a special opportunity to make sure that we are doing it
and if necessary, to correct any deviations in our way to heaven.
A few years back, I used to travel a lot between Houston and San
Antonio. It was a weekly commute and sometimes to make sure that
I wouldn’t fall asleep, I would turn on the radio and listen to
one of the many talk shows. One of those times it was the famous
Dr. Laura. She had a lady calling to ask if it was ok to take her
children to church even if she was not interested in practicing
her faith.
Dr. Laura was trying to make her understand the importance of religion
in her life. She talked about a Rabbi, who had someone coming to
him, saying I don't believe in the existence of God. Creation
was just some molecules getting together. Life is just the product
of evolution, etc. The Rabbi didn’t say anything. He listened and
left. A couple of days after that the Rabbi gave this man a piece
of paper with a poem, a beautiful poem. The man said: This is great,
who did it? ... The Rabbi answered, no one, it just appeared on
my desk. My cat ran over the desk, some ink was spilled on the piece
of paper and that was it! The man said, I don’t believe it. Somebody
must have made it!
The conclusion is clear ... If you think that to make this poem
you need someone to do it, how can you not believe that God created
the Universe!
As you can imagine, the conversation kept me awake and made me reflect
on the necessity of faith in our life. For us, there is no
doubt in our mind that God exists. He is the most important person
in our life. He’s the only one who can give us what we are looking
for!
Then, it makes sense to have a strong spiritual life. To see things
in God’s way we need to be close to him. & quota; Only one thing
is necessary & quot; spiritual life! It is clear that we need
to have a serious spiritual life. In the same way that we take care
of our body we have to take care of our soul.
In Today’s Gospel, St. Jn. 9, 1-41 we see the journey of faith of
a blind man looking for Jesus and the rejection that he suffered
giving witness of Jesus divinity. Same rejection that sometimes
we still feel as we try to live our faith in the middle of the world.
First, it comes
from the Disciples: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind? They made a judgment and questioned his
integrity. Then, the neighbors and those who had seen him earlier
as a beggar, then the Pharisees and even his parents: “… we do not
know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him,
he is of age; he can speak for himself…” But He continued his journey.
They asked him: “What do you have to say about him, since he opened
your eyes? He said, He is a prophet” and later on Jesus asked him:
“Do you believe in the Son of Man? He answered and said, ‘Who is
he, sir, that I may believe in him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have
seen him and the one speaking with you is he’ He said, “I do believe,
Lord’, and he worshiped him”.
In our journey
of faith there are two factors as we try to develop our spiritual
life: The grace of God and our personal struggle.
The most important one is the Grace of God but it needs a place
where that grace can operate and that is our own person. To facilitate
the work of the grace of God, we need to provide the necessary conditions,
and we do that when we have a serious spiritual life.
Therefore we need to spend time in prayer. We need to have time
for God. The dynamic at work here is that as we struggle to
become holy, the grace of God gives us renewed eyes of faith. Not
only do we see the created wonder of the universe, but we are also
brought face-to-face with the reality of our lives and of our own
sinfulness.
If we have spiritual life, we can see things with the eyes of
God, with faith:
“To have supernatural outlook means seeing things as God sees them.
Learning to understand and judge people and events from the angle
of faith. Only in this way will we understand our lives and the
world around us” (Cf. In Conversation with God, 1.18.2).
We learn how to respect other people. We are more understanding
and discover that we can love them as they are, with their defects,
shortcomings, etc. We learn how to forgive and forget with real
mercy and compassion. “We will be able to understand the eternal
truths. Historical events and events in our lives will take on a
new meaning; pain and suffering will become comprehensible; our
work will acquire a transcendental significance as an offering made
to God”. In Conversation with God, 5.58.3
Especially we will be able to understand “that joy is inseparable
from the Cross. Not only that, but … also that we can never be happy
if we are not united to Christ on the Cross, and that we will never
know how to love if we do not at the same time love sacrifice… Suffering,
when see in its true light, when it serves as a means of loving
more, produces great peace and deep joy…” In Conversation with God,
2.26.2
We will be
happy to sacrifice ourselves for the glory of God and the service
of others.
So, let’s try to see with the light of faith, how is our life? Do
we have a real spiritual life...? How much time do we dedicate to
God? ... Is He the most important person in our life? Then, do we
have a supernatural outlook? Do we see things and especially people,
with the eyes of faith? Can we be more understanding and less judgmental
with people around us?
Again, Lent is a time to grow in our faith, hope and love. With
the joy of knowing that our redemption is coming let’s try to learn
something new today. Let’s try to see things and people with
the eyes of faith.
“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follow me will
have the light of life”
(Verse before the Gospel, Today’s Mass).
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