FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

I suppose the most evident subject to speak on today would be the situation of the blind man in the Gospel. Well, we will get around to him in a minute. I would like to first draw your attention to the first reading from the book of Samuel. The story of how David became the King of Israel.

It is interesting to note that when the prophet Samuel was looking for the person that God would choose to be the king of Israel he went to the home of Jesse and his sons. Jesse presented seven of his eight sons to the prophet – but none of them were called by God. Jesse had sent the youngest son out to tend the sheep,. Jesse had decided that God would not want him, But that was exactly who God wanted, Even after David is anointed the King, Jesse has a hard time accepting that God would choose him over his brothers.

How often we evaluate a person on their looks only. We don’t see the real person. Left to their choice, Samuel and Jesse would have chosen one of Jesse’s sons who was big and burly and not the puny little boy David.

You and I have also been chosen by God above so many thousands of other people in this world. Through Baptism we have been chosen and anointed. God has been with us and has stayed with us all these years. We have capabilities far beyond our powers of reason or understanding.

Every year there are thousands of suicides in our country. It is a terribly high number of people who seem to think that they are not worth anything. Archbishop Sheen used to have a weekly TV program called: LIFE IS WORTH LIVING. Paul tells us in today’s second reading that we are lightness, not darkness. God puts more value on each one of us than we care to admit.

Now we come to today’s Gospel: The man born blind and finally cured of his blindness. Look how he is put down, because of his blindness. How the Pharisees ridicule him and treat him like a child – just because of his blindness.

Everyone one of us has talents that haven’t even been tapped yet. We use so little of our true potential – just because of what others think and say about us.

I see two types of people today who have misjudged themselves quite badly. The first is the SMUG PERSON, the one who figures that they know it all. When we stop learning, then we have cut God out of the picture. He continually works with us as long as we let Him. He doesn’t stop feeding us and helping us develop. We are the ones who stop the process. The second type is the person who says: I CAN’T. This person puts no trust in God…..it is all in self. God has chosen this person thru baptism, gives this person all kinds of potential, but the individual rejects God’s offer. Both of these people are very unhappy… their self- image is getting in their way, because they won’t let God come thru.

Let us keep in mind the Responsorial Psalm and then we won’t have these problems: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, THERE IS NOTHING I SHALL WANT. If you know anything about raising sheep, you know that of themselves they are not very sharp and they will not amount to anything. But when there is a shepherd there and they respond to the shepherd, they grow and mature to their full potential. The secular world calls it POSITIVE THINKING. I would prefer to describe it as seeing our true worth and answering our call from God.

Let’s not judge our brothers and sisters on what we see or hear – but leave that to God. Each one of us, no matter who or what we are, have more potential and capability of development than we or our neighbors will ever imagine. Thank God each day for your talents, and keep yourself open to the work of God in your life. You are better than you think.