Reading 1
1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
The LORD said 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.”
As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“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;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Responsorial PsalmR. (1)
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Eph 5:8-14Reading 2Brothers and sisters:
You were once 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.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Gospel
Jn 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
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.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”
So a 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 replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "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,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.
or
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “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.
Meditation: John 9:1-41
“I was blind and now I see.” (John 9:25)
As you read about the blind man in this story, notice how the people viewed him initially. The disciples saw his blindness as a result of sin. His neighbors saw him as a beggar. The Pharisees saw only that he had been healed on the Sabbath. The Jewish worshippers saw a hoax— they couldn’t believe he was healed until they questioned his parents. And the parents believed he had been healed, but wouldn’t say how.
Only Jesus understood the truth: This man was a child of God. God didn’t make him blind. No, God was using his blindness to bring glory to Jesus. Through this healing and others like it, many would recognize that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah sent by the Father.
We may not be physically blind, but we all face a certain degree of spiritual blindness. As fallen human beings, we all have a tendency toward sin and self-centeredness, but we aren’t always aware of how this tendency works itself out in our lives. That’s why Jesus came: “so that those who do not see might see” (John 9:39). Even now he wants to open our eyes more fully so that we can see our need. Mind you, he doesn’t want to condemn us or lord it over us. He wants to heal us.
Never forget that you are a beloved child of God. Even as you come to recognize your spiritual blindness, remember that Jesus loves you. He won’t condemn you! So don’t be afraid to bring your “blind spots” to him today at Mass. In the Penitential Rite, ask him to open your eyes to your hidden darkness. Then, as you receive his body and blood at communion, ask him to fill you with his wonderful light. Every Mass gives us the opportunity to repeat the words of the man in today’s Gospel: “I was blind and now I see” (John 9:25).
“Lord, thank you for the salvation you have won for me! Help me to walk in your light—to see as you see and to love as you love!”
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Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion
(1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13; Psalm 23:1-6; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41)
1. In the first reading, we are told that “the Lord looks into the heart” but “man sees the appearance.” How often do you judge a man’s heart by appearances? What specific steps can you take to adopt a more godly perspective of others?
2. In the familiar Psalm 23, we read that the Lord “refreshes my soul.” What does that mean to you? Have there been times in your life when you have actually experienced the Lord’s refreshment? When?
3. How can you better approach prayer and the Eucharist with an expectant faith that you will experience the Lord’s refreshment?
4. The letter to the Ephesians tells us to expose the “fruitless works of darkness” so that “Christ will give you light.” The best place for this to happen is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. What steps can you take to have a thoughtful and prayerful reception of this Sacrament?
5. The Gospel story, in addition to being a story of a miraculous healing of a blind man, is also a story of conversion, i.e., the healing of spiritual blindness. The blind man went from saying, “I don’t know” to the initial questions about Jesus to “One thing I know, I was blind but now I see.” And finally, “Lord, I believe” and then “he worshiped him.” How would you describe your own journey of conversion, in light of this story?
6. In the meditation, we hear these words: “We may not be physically blind, but we all face a certain degree of spiritual blindness. As fallen human beings, we all have a tendency toward sin and self-centeredness, but we aren’t always aware of how this tendency works itself out in our lives. That’s why Jesus came: “so that those who do not see might see” (John 9:39). Even now he wants to open our eyes more fully so that we can see our need.” What areas of spiritual blindness do you want Jesus to heal so that you can “see” more clearly in those areas?
7. Take some time now to ask Jesus “to see as you see and to love as you love!” Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point. What can you do right now, and in the remaining weeks of Lent, to help make this happen?
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