The
Light of Truth
Fourth Sunday of Lent. March 26, 2017
Father Edward Hopkins,
LC
John 9:1-41
As
he walked along, 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 this man nor his parents sinned; he was born
blind so that God´s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of
him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long
as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When
he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread
the mud on the man´s eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to
see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask,
"Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying,
"It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like
him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept asking him,
"Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called
Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ´Go to Siloam and wash.´
Then 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 mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees
also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He
put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some of the Pharisees
said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath."
But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?"
And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, "What do you
say about him? It was your eyes he opened." 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 we do not know how it is that now he sees, 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 were afraid of the Jews; for
the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah
would 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 they said to
him, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner." He
answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do 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
also want to become his disciples?" Then 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, "Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he
comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to
sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never
since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person
born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They
answered him, "You were born entirely in sin, and are you trying to teach
us?" And they drove him out.
Jesus
heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do
you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir?
Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have
seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I
believe." And he worshiped him. Jesus said, "I came into this world
for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may
become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely
we are not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind,
you would not have sin. But now that you say, ´We see,´ your sin remains.
Introductory
prayer: Lord
God, source of all life, we profess our faith in the resurrection of Your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ. May we adore and love You now and forever in Our
Risen Lord.
1. From a homily of
St. Augustine:
“If, then, we reflect on the meaning of this miracle, we will see that the
blind man is the human race. The blindness struck the first man because of sin,
and he became for us the source not only of death but of sin as well… The
evangelist makes a point of telling us the name of the pool, and the fact that
the name means “Sent.” You already know, of course, who the “One sent” is.
Unless he had been sent, none of us would have been freed of sin.”
2. From the
catecheses of St. Ambrose: “He [Jesus] took some clay and spread it on your eyes.
What does that mean? It means that you were forced to acknowledge your sin,
examine your conscience, do penance for your faults – in short, you had to
admit to the state that the whole human race shares. Your eyes were opened in
the fountain of the Lord and by the preaching of the Lord’s Passion. You seemed
previously to be blind of hear; now you began to see the light.”
3. From the second
reading in the Office of Reading for this day in the Divine Office: “We too, brothers,
have now been enlightened, for the salve of faith has been rubbed on our eyes.
First there was the spittle mixed with earth with which the man born blind was
anointed. But we too, as sons of Adam, were born blind and need him to
enlighten us…We shall have joy in the Truth when we see him face to face, as we
have been promised.”
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ,
Light of world, inflame my mind and heart with Your divine love that I may live
according to the light of the Gospel You preached for my salvation. Amen.
Resolution: To ask God for the gift of sincere and
delicate conscience.
Excerpts from
the DIARY of Saint Faustina Kowalska
1
O Eternal Love, You command Your Sacred Image [1] to be painted
And
reveal to us the inconceivable fount of mercy,
You
bless whoever approaches Your rays,
And
a soul all black will turn into snow.
O
sweet Jesus, it is here [2] You established the throne of Your mercy
To
bring joy and hope to sinful man.
From
Your open Heart, as from a pure fount,
Flows
comfort to a repentant heart and soul.
May
praise and glory for this Image
Never
cease to stream from man's soul.
May
praise of God's mercy pour from every heart,
Now,
and at every hour, and forever and ever.
282 Once the Lord said to me, My Heart was moved by great
mercy towards you, My dearest child, when I saw you torn to shreds because of the
great pain you suffered in repenting for your sins. I see your love, so pure
and true that I give you first place among the virgins. You are the honor and
glory of My Passion. I see every abasement of your soul, and nothing escapes my
attention. I lift up the humble even to my very throne, because I want it so.
388
See what grace and reflection made out of the greatest criminal. He who is
dying has much love: "Remember me when You are in paradise."
Heartfelt repentance immediately transforms the soul. The spiritual life is to
be lived earnestly and sincerely.
423 Praise the Lord, my soul, for everything, and glorify
His mercy, for His goodness is without end. Everything will pass, but His mercy
is without limit or end. And although evil will attain its measure, in mercy
there is no measure.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
O my God, even in the punishments You send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment. Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His infinite mercy than a baby to its mother's heart. O God, You are compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent. The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God's mercy.
717
All night long, I was preparing to receive Holy Communion, since I could not
sleep because of physical suffering. My soul was flooded with love and
repentance.
852 Today the Lord's gaze shot through me suddenly, like
lightning. At once, I came to know the tiniest specks in my soul, and knowing
the depths of my misery, I fell to my knees and begged the Lord's pardon, and
with great trust I immersed myself in His infinite mercy. Such knowledge does
not depress me nor keep me away from the Lord, but rather it arouses in my soul
greater love and boundless trust. The repentance of my heart is linked to love.
These extraordinary flashes from the Lord educate my soul. O sweet rays of God,
enlighten me to the most secret depth, for I want to arrive at the greatest
possible purity of heart and soul.
908
+ O Jesus, how sorry I feel for poor sinners. Jesus, grant them contrition and
repentance. Remember Your own sorrowful Passion. I know Your infinite mercy and
cannot bear it that a soul that has cost You so much should perish. Jesus, give
me the souls of sinners; let Your mercy rest upon them. Take everything away
from me, but give me souls. I want to become a sacrificial host for sinners.
Let the shell of my body conceal my offering, for Your Most Sacred Heart is
also hidden in a Host, and certainly You are a living sacrifice.
Transform
me into Yourself, O Jesus, that I may be a living sacrifice and pleasing to
You. I desire to atone at each moment for poor sinners. The sacrifice of my
spirit is hidden under the veil of the body; the human eye does not perceive
it, and for that reason it is pure and pleasing to You. O my Creator and Father
of great mercy, I trust in You, for You are Goodness Itself. Souls, do not be
afraid of God, but trust in Him, for He is good, and His mercy is everlasting.
934 Small practices for Lent. Although I wish and desire to
do so, I cannot practice big mortifications as before, because I am under the
strict surveillance of the doctor. But I can practice little things:
first-sleep without a pillow; keep myself a little hungry; every day, with my
arms outstretched, say the chaplet which the Lord taught me; occasionally, with
arms outstretched, for an indefinite period of time pray informally. Intention:
to beg divine mercy for poor sinners, and for priests, the power to bring
sinful hearts to repentance.
1052 O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church:
Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit, and give power to the words of
priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to
You, O Lord. Lord, give us holy priests; You yourself maintain them in
holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany
them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares which are
continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your mercy, O
Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of
priests, for You can do all things.
1248 I experience a desire to make reparation to the Lord
Jesus in a way which corresponds [to the offense]. Today I wore a chain belt
for seven hours in order to obtain the grace of repentance for that soul. In
the seventh hour I felt relief as the soul experienced interiorly the remission
of its sin, although it had not yet gone to confession. For sins of the flesh,
I mortify the body and fast to the degree that I am permitted. For sins of
pride, I pray with my forehead touching the floor. For sins of hatred, I pray
and do some good deed for a person whom I find difficult. And thus I make
amends according to the nature of the sin of which I am aware.
1489 Conversation of the Merciful God with a Perfect Soul.
Soul: My Lord and Master, I desire to converse with You.
Jesus: Speak, My
beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to
say?
Soul: Lord, first let me pour out my heart at Your feet in a
fragrant anointing of gratitude for the many blessings which You lavish upon
me; even if I wanted to, I could not count them. I only recall that there has
never been a moment in my life in which I have not experienced Your protection
and goodness.
Jesus: Your words
please Me, and your thanksgiving opens up new treasures of graces. But, My
child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart.
Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do.
Soul: O my merciful Lord, there are secrets in my heart
which no one knows or will ever know except You because, even if I wanted to
reveal them, no one would understand me. Your minister knows some because I
confess to him, but he knows only the bit of these mysteries that I am capable
of revealing; the rest remains between us for eternity, O My Lord! You have
covered me with the cloak of Your mercy, pardoning my sins. Not once did You
refuse Your pardon; You always had pity on me, giving me a new life of grace.
To prevent doubts, You have entrusted me to the loving care of Your Church,
that tender mother, who in Your name assures me of the truths of faith and
watches lest I wander. Especially in the tribunal of Your mercy does my soul
meet an ocean of favors, though You did not give the Fallen Angels time to
repent or prolong their time of mercy. O my Lord, you have provided saintly
priests to show me the sure way. Jesus, there is one more secret in my life,
the deepest and dearest to my heart: it is You yourself when You come to my
heart under the appearance of bread. Herein lies the whole secret of my
sanctity. Here my heart is so united with Yours as to be but one. There are no
more secrets, because all that is Yours is mine, and all that is mine is Yours.
Such is the omnipotence and the miracle of Your mercy. All the tongues of men
and of angels united could not find words adequate to this mystery of Your love
and mercy.
When I contemplate this mystery, my heart falls into a new
ecstasy. In silence I tell You everything, Lord, because the language of love
is without words; not a single stirring of my heart escapes You. O Lord, the
extent of Your great condescension has awakened in my soul an even greater love
for You, the sole object of my love. The life of union manifests itself in
perfect purity, deep humility, gentle silence, and great zeal for the salvation
of souls.
O my sweetest Lord, You watch over me each moment and
inspire me as to how I should act in a precise situation, when my heart wavers
between two things. You yourself frequently intervened in the resolution of a
difficulty. Countless times, by means of a sudden enlightenment, You have given
me to know what is the more pleasing to You.
Oh, how numerous are the instances of forgiveness about
which no one knows! How often You have poured into my soul courage and
perseverance to go forward. It is You yourself who removed obstacles from my
road, intervening directly in the actions of people. O Jesus, everything I have
said to You is but a pale shadow of what is taking place in my heart. O my
Jesus, how ardently I desire the conversion of sinners! You know what I am
doing for them to win them for You. Every offense against You wounds me deeply.
I spare neither strength, nor health, nor life itself in defense of Your
kingdom. Although my efforts may remain invisible on earth, they are no less
valuable in Your eyes.
O Jesus, I want to bring souls to the fount of Your mercy to
draw the reviving water of life with the vessel of trust. The soul desirous of
more of God's mercy should approach God with greater trust; and if her trust in
God is unlimited, then the mercy of God toward it will be likewise limitless. O
my God, Who know every beat of my heart, You know how eagerly I desire that all
hearts would beat for You alone, that every soul glorify the greatness of Your
mercy.
Jesus: My beloved
child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than
the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from
this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake
of your love, I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A
single act of pure love pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One
of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm
Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your
great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven.
I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive
to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child,
especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and
taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity.
But child, you
are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My
kingdom in human souls; fight as a king's child would; and remember that the
days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning
merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will
glorify My mercy for all eternity. My child, that you may answer My call
worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion. It will give you strength...
Jesus, do not leave me alone in suffering. You know, Lord,
how weak I am. I am an abyss of wretchedness, I am nothingness itself; so what
will be so strange if You leave me alone and I fall? I am an infant, Lord, so I
cannot get along by myself. However, beyond all abandonment I trust, and in
spite of my own feeling I trust, and I am being completely transformed into
trust-often in spite of what I feel. Do not lessen any of my sufferings, only
give me strength to bear them. Do with me as You please, Lord, only give me the
grace to be able to love You in every event and circumstance. Lord, do not
lessen my cup of bitterness, only give me strength that I may be able to drink
it all.
O Lord, sometimes You lift me up to the brightness of visions,
and then again You plunge me into the darkness of night and the abyss of my
nothingness, and my soul feels as if it were alone in the wilderness. Yet,
above all things, I trust in You, Jesus, for You are unchangeable. My moods
change, but You are always the same, full of mercy.
1521 The Lord said to me, My daughter, do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In this way you will
refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity for sinners. Tell
My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they
speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My
Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power;
I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will
speak.
1698 l often attend upon the dying and through entreaties
obtain for them trust in God's mercy, and I implore God for an abundance of
divine grace, which is always victorious. God's mercy sometimes touches the
sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems
as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of
God's powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power
of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and
punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of
contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things.
Oh, how beyond comprehension is God's mercy! But-horror!- there are also souls
who voluntarily and consciously reject and scorn this grace! Although a person
is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid
moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to
God. But sometimes, the obduracy in souls is so great that consciously they
choose hell; they [thus] make useless all the prayers that other souls offer to
God for them and even the efforts of God Himself...
1702 Towards the end of the Way of the Cross which I was
making, the Lord Jesus began to complain about the souls of religious and
priests, about the lack of love in chosen souls. I will allow convents and churches to be destroyed. I answered,
"Jesus, but there are so many souls praising You in convents." The
Lord answered, That praise wounds My
Heart, because love has been banished from convents. Souls without love and
without devotion, souls full of egoism and self-love, souls full of pride and
arrogance, souls full of deceit and hypocrisy, lukewarm souls who have just
enough warmth to keep them alive: My Heart cannot bear this. All the graces
that I pour out upon them flow off them as off the face of a rock. I cannot
stand them, because they are neither good or bad. I called convents into being
to sanctify the world through them. It is from them that a powerful flame of
love and sacrifice should burst forth. And if they do not repent and become
enkindled by their first love, I will deliver them over to the fate of this
world...
How can they
sit on the promised throne of judgment to judge the world, when their guilt is
greater than the guilt of the world? There is neither penance nor atonement. O
heart, which received Me in the morning and at noon are all ablaze with hatred
against Me, hatred of all sorts! O heart specially chosen by Me, were you
chosen for this, to give Me more pain? The great sins of the world are
superficial wounds on My Heart, but the sins of a chosen soul pierce My Heart
through and through...
1728 Write: I am
Thrice Holy, and I detest the smallest sin. I cannot love a soul which is
stained with sin; but when it repents, there is no limit to My generosity
toward it. My mercy embraces and justifies it. With My mercy, I pursue sinners
along all their paths, and My Heart rejoices when they return to Me. I forget
the bitterness with which they fed My Heart and rejoice at their return.
Tell sinners
that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart, they
will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them,
that I listen intently to the beating of their heart... when will it beat for
Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience,
through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice
of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry
with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want.
1766 During this reading, my soul was filled with deep
repentance. I saw all the ingratitude of creatures toward their Creator and
Lord; I asked God to protect me from spiritual blindness.
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-I-282, 388, 423)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-II-717, 852, 908, 934)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-III-1052)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-IV-1248)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-V-1489, 1521)
(Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska
Notebook-VI-1698, 1702, 1728, 1766)
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