FIRST READING: 1 Sam. 16:1; 6-7; 10-13. The Lord said to Samuel, "Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." When he came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he comes here." And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. EXPLANATION: The Israelites, ever since their liberation from Egypt and their entry into the Promised Land, lived more or less as separate tribes. They had no central government. When one of the twelve tribes was in danger from a neighboring pagan nation, God raised up a leader, called a "Judge," who led the tribe to victory in most cases. Samuel was the last of these Judges, and towards the end of his life he had more or less succeeded in forming a loose confederation among the twelve tribes. But the people were displeased with the lack of unity and political security. The pagan nations which surrounded them were ruled by kings who led them to battle and who organized their territories on a sound, political basis. The Israelites therefore appealed to Samuel to give them a king with a hereditary kingship, and thus secure national government and a guarantee of survival. Saul, on the advice of God, yielded, if reluctantly, to their request. Saul was appointed the first king of all Israel (1030 B.C.), but though successful in many battles, he offended God and the kingship was taken from him and his descendants. David, a shepherd boy of Bethlehem, was privately anointed king, at God's command, to replace Saul. His dynasty lasted 500 years (until the Babylonian exile), and his direct descendants survived until the promised Messiah, the Son of Mary and adopted son of Joseph, finally came and changed the Chosen People of the Old Testament---the Israelites---into the new people of God which comprised the men of all nations. Today's first reading describes the selection and anointing of King David. Fill . . . oil: Anointing with olive oil had a special significance among the Chosen People, ever since the Exodus. The High Priests were consecrated to God's service in the Temple by this sacred anointing (Lev. 8: 12). The Kings, beginning with Saul, were anointed to signify that they were God's representatives and now invested with a sacred character. They were henceforth called "God's anointed" and were revered by all.
I have . . . myself: When told to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, Samuel did not know whom he was to anoint king. God simply tells him that he has chosen for himself a king from that household.
He looked on Eliab: Because of Jesse’s eldest son's stature and fine appearance, Samuel felt "here is God's chosen one," but God told him otherwise. God sees the inner man, the true man, and therefore can judge rightly.
seven . . . Samuel: What happened to Eliab happened to the next six sons. They were not chosen by God.
youngest . . . sheep: The youngest son David was so unimportant in his father's eyes that he had not even thought of calling him in from the fields. David is called in and God tells Samuel to anoint him, for this is the young man he has chosen as his king.
spirit . . . David: The young shepherd-boy received the power of God in that anointing---his later deeds of valor and wisdom proved this. He had still many sufferings and trials to undergo at the hands of the rejected Saul before he became king of Israel, but he received God's mandate and God's divine assistance from that day forward. APPLICATION: The selection of David, an unimportant shepherd-boy of little Bethlehem, as second King of Israel, was an event which happened over 3,000 years ago, and may at first sight appear to be of little importance for Christians of our century. Yet it has many important lessons to teach us. First and foremost, it shows us how little years and centuries mean to God in his eternal plans. In choosing David he was choosing the royal ancestor of the King of Kings, a thousand years before he came on earth. The day he sent Samuel to Bethlehem, he was planning in advance for you and for me. His thoughts were on us from eternity. The choice of David, the least likely of Jesse's sons, is another lesson for us, a lesson to make us humble by admitting our limitations. The whole book of man's life is open before God; we can see only the cover and the title. In that book, together with his good deeds, God saw the very serious offences David would commit against him in later years, but he also saw his sincere repentance---he still chose David, a consolation surely and an encouragement for all of us sinners, provided our repentance (like David's) is sincere. And also a lesson for even the holiest of us to avoid rash judgment of our neighbors and of those placed over us. Another and a very important truth which needs stressing today, perhaps more than ever before, is that all legitimate power exercised by men over their fellowman comes from God. It is part of God's plan for men's existence on this earth. Because of the special gifts he has given us, God intends us to live in society, to live together in smaller or greater groups for the benefit of all. For such a group, let it be a tribe or a nation or group of nations, there must be an authority which will regulate the dealings of individuals with one another and with the appointed lawful authority. This authority, provided it is lawfully conferred and lawfully exercised, comes from God and must be accepted, revered and obeyed as such. And what holds for civil or secular authority holds for authority in the Church also. Christ founded a society in which all the members of his mystical body would live in mutual love and fraternal cooperation. To lead and direct these members Christ appointed leaders to whom he promised his divine assistance. The first leaders were the Apostles, with Peter as their head. Their direct successors are with us still (and will be till the end of time) in the persons of the Pope and the bishops of the Church. To these we owe obedience in all matters that concern our Christian welfare, because this is God's will and purpose for us. While those who hold authority in state or Church must exercise that authority with justice and prudence, never forgetting that the power they wield is not their own personal prerogative but is given to them by God, so in like manner must their subjects accept their directives and their laws as coming from God, not from a fellowman.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 5: 8-14. Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." EXPLANATION: Ephesus (now a heap of ruins) was on the coast of Asia Minor. It was a flourishing port and city (in St. Paul's day). The Apostle preached in Ephesus during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-21), and during the third journey he stayed there for almost three years (Acts 19:1-20: 1). This letter to the Ephesians (probably intended as a circular letter for the churches of that part of Asia Minor) was written by Paul while a prisoner in Rome, in it he stresses the doctrine of the Church as mystical body of Christ: all men, Jews and Gentiles, become members of Christ's body of which he is the head. He also uses the metaphor of marriage to describe this relationship: Christ is the Bridegroom, the Church his Bride (5:22-32).
darkness . . . light: The majority of the new Christians of Ephesus were converts from paganism. Paganism was darkness; it shed no light on man's purpose in life. The pagan knew not whither he came from, where he was going, or how he could get there. This has all changed for the converts. They have the truth of the Lord, the true facts of the Incarnation, and all it means for them, so they must;
walk . . . light: Their daily life must be lived according to the truths of the Christian faith they have received, trying always to please God by doing his will.
unfruitful . . . darkness: Apart from the immorality and vices which were common among the pagans of that time, their religious rites or services were unfruitful---they were offered to false gods, who could not reward or help them.
instead expose them: Not only must they not think of going back to these pagan practices, but they must do all they can to show their pagan neighbors how sinful and how unfruitful they are.
shame . . . speak: The immoralities practiced by the pagans, not only in their daily lives, but frequently in their so-called religious rites were not fit even to be mentioned by a Christian.
exposed by the light: It is now the duty of the newly-converted Christians to bring home to their pagan neighbors the contrast that exists between their pagan way of life and the light of truth and virtue which they now possess as Christians.
it is said: The light of glory and revelation which the Messiah would bring into the world is mentioned in Is. 9:1 and 60 : 1-3 (see also John I : 7-9, 14).
awake . . . dead: This is probably part of a baptismal hymn. Baptism by immersion, as practiced in the early Church, represented the convert as dying to his old self and being buried with Christ and then rising from the waters to live with Christ "the light of the world." APPLICATION: These words of St. Paul to the Ephesians are applicable to every one of us, especially during this season of Lent. We too have the great blessing of the light of the Christian faith. We, too, have died with Christ in our baptism and have been set on the road to the eternal life. We. too, know "all that is good and right and true," and we know that if we live according to this knowledge, we will be "pleasing to the Lord" and will be moving steadily towards the destination God in his love and mercy has prepared for us. That destination is heaven, a place of everlasting happiness which God has planned for us before time began and which is the only place which will satisfy all the desires of the human heart. Knowing this, one wonders why we need reminders to keep us on our toes: that the purpose of today's lesson should be to awaken us from the sleep of laziness and forgetfulness of our real purpose in life. But the sad fact is, that, apart from the few truly devoted Christians who never forget what their Christian faith means to them, the vast majority of us are very apt to let the passing pleasures and interests of this life take hold on us and blot out ninety-nine per cent of the Christian light which should illuminate all our daily actions. Many of us today also are asleep, and need this call to awaken us to a sense of our obligations as Christians. This does not mean that we must change our occupation or cut ourselves off from all our relatives and friends, but that we must change our outlook on life and eternity. We must still carry out our daily, worldly tasks whatever they may be, but we must do these tasks from the Christian motive of pleasing God. The light which Christ has brought, shows us the true meaning of life. Our short sojourn on earth is our training ground and preparation for the everlasting life which will be ours after death, if we use the few years we are given on this earth properly. If any of us have been sleeping---that is, wasting the valuable time God is giving us---now is the time to wake up to the reality of life. There is still time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We know not how much time is left, but this we do know, that if we use that time as St. Paul tells us today, if we "walk as children of light," living our Christian life to the full, we can still earn the resurrection from the dead and receive eternal light from Christ, our brother and our Savior.
GOSPEL: John 9:1-41. As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day, night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he;" others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him,"Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash;' so I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said "I do not know." They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was a division among them. So they again said to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him." So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give God the praise; we know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you." He said, "Lord, I believe;" and he worshiped him. Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." EXPLANATION: This miracle, worked by our Lord in Jerusalem, and so dramatically told by St. John, brings out the merciful kindness of Jesus "the light of the world," who gives to a blind beggar not only his bodily light or eyesight but also the light of faith. It also shows the stubborn pride of the Pharisees which prevented them, not only from seeing in the humble "son of man" the long-expected Messiah, but made them incapable of seeing a miracle which was evident to everybody else in the neighborhood.
who . . . parents: The disciples’ question of why he was blind arose from the common conviction among the Jews that all physical defects and all pain was a punishment for sin. Our Lord tells them this is not so.
works . . . him: That this man was born blind was not caused by God, but his physical defect gave Christ an opportunity to prove to the Pharisees that he was from God.
night . . . work: Christ had to fulfill his messianic, mission during the span of life allotted him on this earth.
clay . . . Siloam: Jesus tested the man's faith and obedience. Clay mixed with spittle was an unlikely cure for blindness, but the man did as he was told and returned from the pool "seeing."
some said . . . no: It was customary for the disabled to sit near one of the gates leading to the temple court, and beg for alms. This man was well-known to all temple-goers, but some could not believe their own eyes when they saw him with his eyes open for the first time. Hence the arguments.
the Pharisees: Now the Pharisees dispute among themselves. If Jesus mixed clay with spittle on the Sabbath day he was a sinner. But if he worked this miracle he could not be a sinner, for miracles come from God.
He is a prophet: The beggar agrees with the latter statement. Christ must be from God, a prophet.
called the parents: Now the Pharisees began to deny the man was born blind. They called his parents, who testified that this man was their son and was born blind. However, to avoid any trouble the Pharisees could cause them, they wisely said their son was of age and could speak for himself.
for the second time: Now for a second time they call the poor man. During this second interrogation the man born blind throws the Pharisees into greater confusion. He asks them if they too wished to become Jesus' disciples. This is, to them, an insult---they are disciples of Moses, they keep and expound Moses' law, they know nothing of this newcomer. The man tells them this is a marvel, with all their knowledge and authority they do not know this man who worked such a marvelous miracle! If he were not from God he could not do this.
you were . . . sin: They now admit the man was born blind, which is a proof of sin, and how dare he teach them. "And they cast him out."
Jesus . . . him: After he had been cast out by the Pharisees. Jesus asked him if he believed in the Son of man, that is, in the Messiah.
it is . . . you: Jesus tells him he himself is the Messiah, and the man answered: "Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him." He had now the gift of faith as well as the gift of his sight.
For judgement I came: Not to condemn the world, but by the acceptance or the rejection of him, would each man decide his own eternal fate.
are we also blind: The Pharisees understood rightly that they were included in those who condemned themselves.
If . . . blind: If it were ignorance that prevented them from recognizing and accepting him, they would be excused, but it was their pride and prejudice which had brought an incurable blindness of mind to them and led them to reject him and eventually crucify him. APPLICATION: St. John was an eyewitness of this story. He was one of our Lord's first disciples and was with him in Jerusalem when this incident took place. That the behavior of the Pharisees made a deep impression on his young mind is evident from the minute details he is able to give when writing his gospel, sixty years later. The Pharisees were opposed to Jesus from the very beginning of his public life (see Jn. 3 & 7). He mixed with publicans and sinners; he preached mercy and forgiveness. Many of the common people all over the country and in Jerusalem itself were becoming his disciples, and this meant that the Pharisees were losing followers and temple revenue. Their personal pride was being hurt and their privileges being weakened. They would have long since put an end to his mission, but "his hour had not yet come" (Jn. 7: 30). Today's story shows up this pride and prejudice. They at first refuse to admit a miracle occurred. When the parents convince them that the cured man is their son who was born blind, they attribute the miracle to a sinner, one in league with Satan, but the cured man shows them this is impossible. They then excommunicate the man but they remain convinced that the worker of this miracle is not from God, not the Messiah, but an impostor. The Pharisees have long since disappeared from history, but there are thousands still among us who are blinded by the same pride and prejudice, refuse to see the truths of God's revelation as made known to mankind in its fulness by the life and the teaching of Christ. They refuse to admit that God exists or that Christ existed, or that if he did he was the Son of God, who became man in order to make us sons of God and heirs of heaven. In their pride they claim to be absolute masters of their own fate, and they seem or pretend to be content that that fate will end in the death of the body. Like the fox who lost his tail, they are not content to keep their irrational unbelief to themselves, but want others to join them. They are ever ready to propagate their errors and to accuse believers of childish credulity and folly. We accept their accusations; we are thankful to God and to his beloved Son, Christ, that we have been given the light of faith. Our reason tells us that the marvelous gifts we have are not from ourselves but were given us by a loving God who by the act of creation shared his own goodness with all creatures, but especially with man whom he made "in his own image and likeness." These gifts of intellect and will we possess are such that they could never be satisfied in the few years we are given in this life. God's revelation through Christ informs us that there is a future life awaiting us where our spiritual faculties, and our transformed bodies as well, will be fully and fittingly satisfied. Christ, "the light of the world," to whom the Pharisees and their modern followers shut their eyes lest they see, is our light and our delight. Through the gift of faith, he has given us a spiritual eyesight, which, while it cannot dispel all the shadows and discomforts of this life, opens up to us a glorious unending future where our God-given gifts will at last find their true purpose, their true satisfaction. May God shed some of this light on those who in their folly ignore and deny him, and may he never let us falter in our faith and in our fidelity to the baptismal promises which we made to him when, through his grace and generosity, we became his chosen children of light.-a127 Click to return to our Home page
