My Dear People, 

Today, the story of the man born blind is like the story of the Samaritan Woman.  There is a connection! The Lord came for the sinners--to bring them salvation and to bring them to the light. When one is without the Lord, then that individual is in darkness. Only the Lord can bring light to the people. For example, the Gospel tells us that the people who were living in heathen Galilee, (the Galilee of the Gentiles,) were people who lived in darkness, but then they saw a great light. The light was, of course, Jesus. 

The man born blind is not a parable. It is a real situation, and the leaders in Jerusalem couldn’t believe this man born blind was able to see. It could not be possible. So, they drill him with questions. Their hearts, however, remain closed to God, even the ones who are teachers in the community. They have no sense of humility. They think they know the Law of Moses and the Sacred Scriptures. And no one is going to tell them or challenge them about the sacred Scriptures! Their interrogation of the blind man was basically a process to debunk Jesus and His ministry, and why He came on earth. They were blind, too, and were not open to a miracle even though it was presented before them.

 Last week, we read of how the people of the town of Shechem went to the well where Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman. They said: “We do not have to rely on the testimony any more of the Samaritan woman, we have seen for ourselves, and we believe!”  They were so convinced they asked Jesus to stay with them. These were people who were not even Jews; who were considered half breed! Perhaps some were from the previous ten lost tribes of Israel, and some were Gentile people who happened to live there. Regardless, they accepted Jesus! They had an open heart, and they recognized Jesus as being the Messiah. 

Meanwhile the leaders of the community in Jerusalem, the ones who are supposed to instruct the people in regard to the truths of God, were the ones who, through their lack of humility, closed their hearts to God. They would do anything they could to discredit Jesus. 

The blind man progresses in three stages in his belief. In the first stage, the blind man said that “He put clay on my eyes and told me to go to Siloam and wash. I did and now I can see.” The leaders said this man cannot be from God because He heals on the Sabbath. The blind man questions: how can a sinful man do such things? They asked him again. He said, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I know is that I was blind and now I can see.” They ridiculed the man and asked him to repeat again how he was healed. The man answered, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes.” In other words, you do not know about Jesus and any of His qualities. 

The second profession of his faith is when he said, “If this man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything,” (i.e. the miracle). Conclusion: this man is from God; only someone from God can do such miracles. His faith and image of Jesus ascends to a higher level.  They threw him out! They did not want to be lectured by this man. 

When Jesus found out what had happened to the man, Jesus sought him out and asked of him something greater. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  When he was told that Jesus was this person, he replied, “I do believe,” and worshipped Him. That was the third level of his belief. 

This individual progressed from saying 1.  He is a prophet! to 2. If he were not from God, He could have not done such healing to 3. I do believe in the Son of Man and worshipping Him. 

Jesus sought him out because he had been Jesus’s witness in front of the panel of Pharisees and leaders who had expelled Him. He had been a witness of Christ without knowing who He was.  Jesus thought this man was ready and worthy to have the revelation that Jesus was the “Son of Man,” another term for the Son of God.” 

May this Lenten season be a time of grace and enlightenment for each of us, and may we be a witness to Jesus in our daily lives. Amen. 

Sincerely in Christ, 

Fr. Vincent Clemente