Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent. In the Gospel, we meet the man born blind. In this text, a man blind from birth comes to see Jesus as the Messiah. The Gospel story tells us about his faith journey.
When the man born blind is first asked who healed him, he says that Jesus healed him. The second time he is asked about Jesus, the man born blind says Jesus is a prophet. Finally, the man born blind comes to believe that Jesus is the Son of Man. Thus, faith and insight into the identity of Jesus came gradually. Faith grew in him through his thinking and reflecting.
The questions posed to him and the answers he offered illustrate the development of faith in the blind man’s heart. Notice the development of this passage. The questioning of the Man Born Blind seems to resemble the questions put to Jesus during his passion. The presentation also seems similar to the questioning of Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.
Beware of the contrast between the leaders of the people and the Man Born Blind. With each question, the blind man comes to a deeper insight into the identity of Jesus. While the leaders seem to be blinded to the identity of Jesus due to their hardness of heart, the blind man comes to faith.
Faith as Illumination
Baptism in the ancient church was called illumination because faith gave us light to see beyond the literal or physical world. Faith enlightened the person. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told that faith is the conviction of things unseen.
As we journey on to Easter and the renewal of our baptismal promises, what questions about the faith do you have? Do you struggle with some of the aspects of faith? Has your faith grown over the years? May there be some blind spots in your thinking and perceptions of Jesus? Are there perception problems we may be having in seeing the truth about ourselves or someone we love?
What actually blinded the leaders? Were they really blind? Were they fearful of Jesus? Did they think they would lose their privileged position? Were they afraid of change? The life of the Man Born Blind changed after he was given sight. He could no longer beg. He could no longer claim to be ignorant. He had to take responsibility for his own life.
Responsibility in the Light
We are responsible for what we know. To know and understand is another way of being in the light. Ignorance is another way of being in the dark. Seeing can be a dangerous thing.
If we confess Jesus, how does our life change? What attitudes in us need to change? What behaviors need to change in us if we profess our faith in the Lordship of Christ Jesus? What behaviors are not compatible with faith in the Lord?
Lent calls us to a deeper inner conversion to the mind and heart of Christ Jesus. Professing to believe in Christ carries a great responsibility. What prevents us from seeing? How do we see? Do we see what actually is, or do we see what our minds wish us to see?
God is light. In the Prologue of the Gospel of St. John, we read that Jesus is the light that the darkness cannot overcome. Do we really want to see?
Msgr. Guy A. Massie
March 15, 2026
