HOMILY 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A 2026
THE BLIND MAN GAINS SIGHT AND THEN INSIGHT INTO FAITH IN JESUS AS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Jn 9.1-41 1Sam 16.1,6-7.10-13 Eph 5.8-14
The Winter Paralympics in Northern Italy are about to conclude this weekend, where we can all but admire the determination and skill of those who might well prefer be described as ‘differently abled’, rather than disabled. We could say likewise with the Summer Paralympics, but also generally in life, with those who have to deal with physical or psychological limitations. We all do in some way or other at times in life. There’s no magic cureall!
An older parishioner said to me recently that she was talking to someone who was blind, mentioning that her sight was not so good, and the blind person expressed empathy because it was more difficult to have had sight and then to be losing it, rather than never having had the experience from birth. She said it made her feel less sorry for herself, as we all can do when things go wrong, particularly with the ageing body, perhaps! I can speak from personal experience, as can many of my contemporaries! Stephen and Bill. my two blind friends from secondary school days, were more than a step ahead when computers came along, with their keyboard skills, and ability to adapt to new technology. Nothing stopped them from getting on with life, with enthusiasm and happy acceptance and adaptation to their circumstances. I am just waiting for one of them to turn up to visit me in a self-guided car!
Then again, our limitations can be put to good use, as I was talking to Grade 2’s this week, and read them a Dr Seuss short story on teeth, as it’s an issue for them, losing a few and gaining a few more as second teeth come along. I told them my Mum blamed me for my bad teeth because of too many Mars Bars in my earlier years. Now I have third teeth, which have to go in a jar every night, but no tooth fairy ever comes to me!! Better to look after those 32 second teeth, upper and lower!! Too late now for me!
Now for the Gospel, where we have the story of the blind man finding his sight through Jesus’ intervention. They say that John’s Gospel was written around 90-100AD, well after the others, and its style is very different, with narrative sequences like last week’s encounter of Jesus with the woman at the well, to the healing of the paralytic, now sight coming to the blind man, and then the raising of Lazarus next week. These accounts all point to the unexpected coming to faith in the person of Jesus, by unlikely types, not just another preacher or prophet, but truly the one sent by God, to engender true faith in himself, through being people who develop a relationship with him, and commit to following his way.
Once again, the simplistic, distorted, fundamentalist and judgmental view of the religious leaders, in particular, is dismissed by Jesus. The copout line is that disability, misfortune, or failure, of any sort, was the fault of the person afflicted, or, by genetic transmission of guilt, so that God’s punishment was the result. Hence, there was no obligation to help out or even to feel sympathy or empathy with the victim.
It is very clear that Jesus counters such blinkered thinking, from the start, and has no hesitation or fear in confronting and contradicting those who thought like that. In fact, he condemns their behaviour as well, seeing through their hypocrisy, and addressing their harsh and heartless attitudes.
It is suggested that the blind man represents anyone who is searching for faith and insight into how to be a faithful disciple, then and now. Faith cannot just be imposed, but a person needs to hear the message, reflect on it, encounter the person of Jesus, and then make a decision to follow his way, as for you and me.
While the woman at the well takes little time to express faith in Jesus, once he sees into her heart, the blind man takes longer here. The first encounter with Jesus has him happy with his new found sight, and, in his excitement and relief, the focus is on himself. The change in him comes from the negative encounter, following the restoration of his sight, with the Pharisees as the religious leaders or Temple police (as I like to call them!), where they have threatened to evict from the Temple, anyone who professes faith in Jesus.
The blind man’s poor old parents provide an interesting side story, as they back off from making any commitment to Jesus, as they wonder, fear rejection and exclusion by those they know, and eviction from the Temple was a serious matter for believing Jews. We can have sympathy for their difficult position, but ultimately the message is about a call to faith in Jesus as the one to follow. It’s easy for us to say and do now, but back then, it must have been a challenge and a dilemma.
In the end, then, Jesus points to the enduring spiritual emptiness and blindness of the religious leaders, who fail to recognize or acknowledge his words and actions as having divine origins, and which can only broaden the scope of faith in the God of life and love Jesus reveals, in fulfilment of the faith story that preceded him, in Jewish tradition, which he affirms, rather than dismisses.
Ultimately, what Jesus points out once again, is that the needs of the people of God come before the prescriptions of the Law, as he offers healing on the Sabbath, or whatever other day of the week it might be! This is a story leading from darkness into light, as Jesus describes himself as ‘the light of the world’.
As Brendan Byrne SJ sums up today’s message: “(The blind man’s) coming to physical sight becomes a symbol of the further journey that he then begins, a journey out of the ‘darkness’ of unbelief to the discovery of the ‘Light of the world’ in the person of Jesus.
And as a further reminder to support Project Compassion, this week, we have the story of Mainani with her children, in Fiji, helped by Caritas Australia to develop new skills to provide income, on order to educate her children.
Once again, let’s together continue to help make poverty history through our support and generosity, building a safer and more sustainable future for all.
john hannon 15th March 2026
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of March is for disarmament & peace
In a video released on X, the Holy Father posed a question to the faithful: “Would you imagine what a world without wars would be like? A world without the terror of approaching explosions? Without rocket alarms shattering the silence of the night?… Please join me in prayer this month for disarmament and peace,” he said.
In the full video shared on the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month’s prayer intention.
Here is the Pope’s full prayer:
Lord of Life, you shaped every human being in your image and likeness. We believe you created us for communion, not for war, for fraternity, not for destruction. You who greeted your disciples saying, ‘Peace be with you’, grant us the gift of your peace, and the strength to make it a reality in history. Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world, asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference, so we may become instruments of reconciliation. Help us understand that true security does not come from control fuelled by fear, but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples. Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the centre. May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit, make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace: in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our cities. May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation, and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world. Amen.