Homily – Fifth Sunday Lent Year (A)

This Sunday, during 10.30 am Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, our community will witness the second of three Scrutinies.  The first Scrutiny for Catechumens was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church two weeks ago, the Gospel reading for that Mass was taken from Year A where Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well.  The woman recognises Jesus as the living water who can satisfy her spiritual thirst.

At the Scrutiny this weekend the Gospel is about the cure of the blind man whose sight is restored.  Light becomes the symbol for sight.  Without light there is darkness or blindness.  The Gospel Acclamation leading us into the Gospel reading sums up the message of Christ being our light “Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ, I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.”

One of the most moving scenes, that I ever experienced, was a blind young person singing in front of her peers.  It moved me deeply because sound is her world.  The sound that she produced with her voice made an exquisite experience for others.  Our senses help us to experience the world around us.  They help us to receive and process what we can understand about our surroundings and its movements.

Blindness may take away the joy of seeing the natural beauty that surrounds us, and limit our understanding, however, it doesn’t take away how we experience the world by using our other senses, in fact, they heighten and sharpen the sense of hearing and touch.  Sensitive hearing can help detect in the other’s voice an undertone of worry or an excitement contained.  Purposeful touching allows us to experience the world by our feelings.

Sight does not guarantee knowledge and understanding.  We can be blind to the realties of other people’s lives because we cannot fully understand only at surface level.  Until we walk in the shoes of others we might understand.  The sight that Christ gives us is direction and purpose.  A sight that looks beyond the surface and into the depths so that we might fully understand and appreciate.

By Fr Hoang Dinh

Published: 15 March 2024