Lent 4

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Whenever we go on holiday I wonder what we do. We get ready we check we have got everything. And then double check. We check that our passports if we are going abroad are ok. We get ready for the journey.

Today’s readings are looking at a different journey. They are looking at the inner journey the journey of faith. And it can in human eyes come up with some extraordinary consequences. In the first reading from the book of Samuel we see that the people of Israel were looking for a King. So going to the Sons of Jesse he picks David the last and most insignificant of his Sons what does God look for then. He does not look for what the world considers as important those with wealth and power, no, God looks at the heart he looks and the inner journey. This inner journey must have outwards signs we can see this from the book of Ephesians we must shun the works of darkness and live as children of the light. He says “Once you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord.”

The Gospel is essentially a story of a journey of one man into faith. There is a progression of understanding. He first calls Jesus a man then a prophet and then the Lord. He was blind and gradually through faith and understanding he could at last see. Physically and spiritually he was walking in darkness and he saw the light. And Jesus us that light “I am the light of the world” he states. Notice also Jesus again like in last week’s Gospel Jesus tells us all exactly who he is. There is again an echo back to the burning bush and the story of Moses. Jesus says “I AM” exactly the same words that God spoke to Moses in the burning bush.

It is also a story of our inner life and journey into faith. IT is a journey where like the Blind man we have a gradual recognition of the person of Jesus and what he means to us. It is a journey to deepening our relationship with him. We struggle to make sense of some of the things in the world around us. We struggle with relationship, with ourselves with the things that we do not understand. What helps us is having the eyes of faith. It helps us make sense of what is happening and through our faith it can bring great comfort and peace. Think of the healing peace we gain in the sacraments to know that God is always with us. That he is ready to open his arms to welcome us. And we can be sure that Jesus looks at the heart and not the exterior. He sees the desire for faith even if we feel that our faith is hanging very by a string. This is seen by one simple act that happens at our baptism. We are given a candle a light taken from the Easter Candle it reminds us that Jesus is with us all through our lives this light of faith is also something that we can therefore pass on to others. IT shows that all through the many things that life throws at us that faith keeps us going and God is always there.

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