Fourth Sunday of Lent, cycle A

JOHN 9:1-41
THE MORE YOU STUDY THE GOSPELS, THE MORE INTERESTING THEY ARE. JOHN PUTS TOGETHER HIS STORIES OF JESUS SO THAT ANYONE WHO READS THEM CAN FIND SOMETHING OF HIMSELF OR HERSELF IN THEM. TODAY'S GOSPEL IS NO EXCEPTION. IT IS A WONDERFUL STUDY ON WHAT PASSES FOR RELIGION, AND WHEN YOU GO THROUGH IT AND MEET THE PEOPLE WHO REACT TO THE BLIND MAN, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT SEE SOMETHING OF YOURSELF SOMEWHERE.
FIRST, WE MEET THE APOSTLES. THEY SEE THE BLIND MAN, AND IMMEDIATELY ASK JESUS WHAT THIS MEANS? THEY ARE THEOLOGIANS. THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEMS OF THE WORLD TO THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THEY WILL BE SENT. THAT'S A GOOD THING OF COURSE. BUT TO THEM, THE BLIND MAN IS SOMETHING TO BE STUDIED AND EXPLAINED, NO MORE. “WAS IT HIS SIN OR THAT OF HIS PARENTS THAT CAUSED HIM TO BE BORN BLIND?” THERE ARE PEOPLE IN OUR CHURCH WHO ARE VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES, RELATING CHURCH DOCTRINE TO THE BIBLE; IN FACT, THERE IS A WHOLE INDUSTRY OUT THERE THAT DOES APOLOGETICS. YOU CAN HIRE PROFESSIONAL APOLOGISTS WHO WILL COME TO YOUR PARISH; IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, THESE PROFESSIONAL APOLOGISTS INVITE PROTESTANT COUNTERPARTS TO DEBATE WITH THEM. THERE ARE MAGAZINES LIKE “THIS ROCK” THAT ARE VERY WELL DONE.
BUT THEOLOGY AND APOLOGETICS, IMPORTANT AS THEY ARE, DO NOT REPRESENT THE ESSENCE OF FOLLOWING CHRIST. I HAVE ONLY TO REMEMBER THOSE LONG EVENINGS IN COLLEGE WHEN WE WOULD GO OUT AND DRINK BEER AND TALK ABOUT RELIGION, AND THAT WOULD MAKE US FEEL HOLY.
THEN WE MEET THE PHARISEES. UPON HEARING ABOUT THE MIRACLE, THEIR REACTION IS NOT TO PRAISE AND THANK GOD, BUT TO IMMEDIATELY POINT OUT THAT SINCE JESUS DID THIS ON THE SABBATH, IT CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH GOD. THEY ARE THE RULE-FOLLOWERS. NOW RULES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, AND IN OUR CHURCH, WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF PROBLEMS BECAUSE CATHOLICS, LAY AND CLERICAL ALIKE, DECIDE THAT THEY AREN'T GOING TO FOLLOW THE RULES. CATHOLICS IGNORE THE CHURCH'S TEACHING ON ANY NUMBER OF THINGS, FROM CONTRACEPTION TO ABORTION TO THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AS VOTING CITIZENS. THEY IGNORE THE CHURCH'S TEACHINGS ON PARTICIPATION IN MASS AND THE SACRAMENTS; SOME OF OUR PRIESTS FEEL THAT THEY CAN SPICE UP THE MASS WITH A FEW WELL CHOSEN WORDS OF THEIR OWN, AND SO IT GOES. AND ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE CHURCH CAN SEE THAT IT IS IN TROUBLE. BUT SOME OF US ARE TOO MUCH INTO THE RULES. FOLLOWING THE RULES SOMETIMES CAN CAUSE US TO SIN AGAINST CHARITY. IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THE VERY RIGHT WING CATHOLIC PAPERS AND WEB SITES, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE OBSESSION WITH RULES CAN HAVE THE EFFECT OF MAKING PEOPLE TURN AWAY FROM THEIR FAITH.
THEN WE MEET THE MAN'S PARENTS. THE PARENTS REFUSE TO TAKE A STAND. “ASK HIM YOURSELF,” THEY SAY, “HE IS OF AGE.” AND JOHN TELLS US THAT THEY FEARED BEING EXPELLED FROM THE SYNAGOGUE. WE CAN ASSUME THEY WERE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE, AND BEING MEMBERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM. BUT THEY PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT RELIGION SHOULD BE A PRIVATE AFFAIR, THAT THE BEST THING AS TO LET EVERYONE DO THEIR OWN THING, AND THE IMPORTANT THING WAS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN SOUL AND LET EVERYONE ELSE GO THEIR OWN WAY. THE PARENTS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD NEVER ROCK THE BOAT, WHO WOULD NEVER DELIBERATELY TROUBLE SOMEONE ELSE'S CONSCIENCE. THEY BELIEVED THAT YOU COULD BELIEVE ANYTHING, BECAUSE WHAT WAS IMPORTANT WAS THAT YOU WERE SINCERE.
I LIKE THE NEXT PART. THE MAN BORN BLIND ARGUES WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN THE SYNAGOGUE, MAKING POINTS THAT THEY CANNOT REFUTE; AND THEIR REACTION ULTIMATELY IS TO THROW HIM OUT PHYSICALLY. FOR THEM RELIGION IS A GUARANTEE THAT THEY ARE RIGHT, AND THAT PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE WITH THEM ARE WRONG. SOUNDS A LITTLE LIKE THE TALIBAN, OR SOME PROTESTANT GROUPS, OR INDEED, SOME OF OUR CATHOLIC BROTHERS AND SISTERS. IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH US, WE'LL SEPARATE FROM YOU AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. AND IF YOU TRY TO REACH ACROSS THAT GAP, WE'LL THROW YOU OUT, WE'LL SEVER ALL TIES. AS LONG AS WE ONLY ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE RIGHT 100% OF THE TIME, WE'LL AVOID CONTAMINATION AND BE HOLY.
AND OF COURSE WE MUSTN'T FORGET THE REACTION OF JESUS TO THE EVENT OF THE BLIND MAN. HE HEALS HIM. HE DOESN'T ASK ANY QUESTIONS, DOESN'T GIVE HIM A FAITH TEST, SIMPLY MAKES SOME MUD AND PUTS IT IN HIS EYES AND THE MAN CAN SEE. I CAN'T RESIST POINTING OUT SOMETHING HERE. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT ADAM WAS CREATED BY GOD FROM MUD? JESUS CREATES THE EYES, OR THE EYESIGHT, OF THE MAN BORN BLIND OUT OF MUD. I THINK JOHN WANTS US TO NOTICE THIS.
SO WHAT IS TRUE RELIGION? IS IT THEOLOGY? FOLLOWING THE RULES? BEING QUIET AND AVOIDING CONTROVERSY? SEEING THE WORLD AS AN EVER SMALLER “US” WHO ARE RIGHT, AND “THEM” WHO ARE WRONG? OR IS IT MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE PERSON GOD PUTS IN OUR PATH?
IT IS SAID THAT MOTHER THERESA WAS INVITED TO ADDRESS A GATHERING OF VARIOUS DIGNITARIES AND HEADS OF CHARITABLE AGENCIES IN INDIA, WHO WERE HAVING A CONFERENCE ON HOW TO END HUNGER. AS THEY WERE ALL ENTERING THE LECTURE HALL, THEY STEPPED AROUND A BEGGAR STATIONED NEAR THE FRONT DOOR. MOTHER THERESA AND HER COMPANION COULD NOT DO THAT. THEY HELPED THE BEGGAR TO HIS FEET, AND WALKED WITH HIM, SUPPORTING HIM BECAUSE HE WAS SO WEAK, TO ONE OF THEIR HOSPICES LOCATED NOT TOO FAR AWAY, WHERE THEY SAW THAT HE WAS FED AND CLEANED UP, AND GIVEN SOME CLOTHING. AND WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO THE LECTURE HALL, IT WAS TOO LATE. MOTHER THERESA NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO TELL ALL THOSE PEOPLE HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER.
SO TODAY ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, WISE OLD JOHN THE EVANGELIST INVITES US TO LOOK INTO HIS GOSPEL STORY, AND SEE OURSELVES. WHAT DOES RELIGION MEAN TO US? AND PLEASE, REALLY LOOK AT YOURSELVES HONESTLY. BECAUSE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHOM WE MEET IN THIS STORY OF THE BLIND MAN ARE YOU AND I.