LAZARUS - 5th Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Homily for the 5^th Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Based on (Gospel), (First Reading) and (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

LAZARUS

‘Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live”’ (Jn 11:23).

The Gospel narrative for this 5^th Sunday of Lent (CycleA) is from Jn 11:1-45 under the title “Resurrection of Lazarus”.

Verse 1 says: There was a man named Lazarus who lived in a village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill.

Parallel text is Jn 12:1-8 that says: Anointing at Bethany. Six days before the Passover,^a  Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead (v. 1). They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table (v. 2). Mary brought a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment (v. 3). Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him- said (v. 4), ‘Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor? (v. 5)’ He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions (v. 6). So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial^b (v. 7). You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me (v. 8). Footnote ^a says “The last week of Christ’s life is as carefully punctuated as the first, 12:12; 13:1; 18:28; 19:31; cf. 2:1+ Each of the two weeks culminates in the manifestation of Christ’s glory, but the time for ‘signs’ (cf. Cana, 2:4,11) is now over; ‘the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified’, 12:23; 13:31f; 17:1,5.”; and  Footnote ^b says “Christ sees Mary’s acts as a gesture of respect offered to his dead body before the time; it is a symbol of his actual burial, 19:38f”

Verse 2 says: It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.^a Footnote ^a says “It is unlikely that this is ‘the woman who was a sinner’ of Lk 7:37.”

Parallel text is Lk 10:38fthat says: In the course of their journey he came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

Verse 3 says: The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’

Parallel textis Jn 2:11 that says :This was the first of the signs^f given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. Footnote ^f  says “For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus, therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37;  and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.“

Verse 4 says: On receiving the message, Jesus said, “This sickness will end not in death but in for God’s  glory  and  through it the Son of God will be glorified.^b Footnote ^bs ays “A double meaning here: Jesus will be glorified by the miracle itself, cf. 1:14+, but the miracle will bring about his death, 11:46-54, by which also he will be glorified, 12:32+.”

Parallel text is Jn 1:14 that says:The word was made flesh, ^m he lived among us, ⁿ and we saw his glory,^o the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. Footnote ^m says “The ‘flesh’ is man considered as a frail and mortal being, cf. 3:6, 17:2, Gn 6:3, Ps. 56:4, Is 40:6,see Rm 7:5+.”; Footnote ⁿ says “Lit. ‘pitched his tent among us’. The incarnation of the Word makes God personally and visibly present to mankind; it is no longer a presence unseen and awe-inspiring as in the Tent and Temple of the old regime, Ex. 25:8+; Cf. Nb. 35:34, nor merely the presence of divine wisdom enshrined in Israel’s Mosaic Law, Si. 4:7-22; Ba. 3:36-4:4.”; and Footnote ^o says “The ‘glory’ is the manifestation of God’s presence, Ex. 24:16+. No one could see its brilliance and live, Ex 33:20+, but the human nature of the  word now screens this glory as the cloud once did. Yet at times  it pierces the veil, as the transfiguration, for instances, cf. Lk 9:32, 35 (alluded to in Jn 1:14?) and when Jesus works miracles –‘signs’ that God is active in him, 2:11+, 11:40;cf. Ex. 14:24-27 and 15:7, 16:7f.  The resurrection will reveal the glory fully, cf. Jn 17:5+.”

Verses 5 to 8 say: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed  where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea.’^c The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you, are you going back again?” Footnote ^c says “Add. ‘again’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 8:59 - At this they picked up stones to throw at him;^s but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple. Footnote^s says “The claim of Jesus to live on the divine plane (v. 58) is for the Jews, blasphemy, for which the penalty is stoning, Lv. 24:16).”

2.       Jn 10:31 - The Jews fetched stones to stone him.

Verses 9, 10 and 11 say: Jesus replied: ‘Are there not twelve hours in a day? A man can walk I the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by; but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him.’ He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him’.

Parallel texts for verse 9 are:

1.       Jn 9:4 - ‘As long as the day lasts I must^b carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.^c Footnote ^b  says “Var. ‘we must’”; and Footnote ^c  says “The life of Jesus is compared to a day’s work, 5:17, ending with the night of death. Cf. Lk 13:32.”

2.       Jn 8:12 - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.

Verse 12 says: The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better’.

Parallel text is Jn 2:19 that says: Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’.^h

Verses 13 and 14 say: The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’, so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead;

Parallel text for verse 13 is Mt 9:24p that says: ‘Get out of here; the little girl is not dead, she is asleep’. And they  laughed at him.

Verse 15 says: And for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe.^d Let us go to him.” Footnote ^d says “Had Lazarus not died, there would have been no miracle to confirm their faith.”

Parallel textis Jn 2:11 that says: This was the first of the signs^f given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. Footnote^f says “For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus, therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37;  and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.”

Verses 16 and 17 say: Then Thomas-known as the Twin- said to the other disciples, “Let us go too, and die with him.”On  arriving,  Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already.

Parallel texts  for verse 16 are:

1.       Jn 14:5 - Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

2.       Jn 20:24-29 - Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came (v. 24). When the^k disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe’ (v. 25).  Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’, he said (v. 26). Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side.^l Doubt no longer but believe (v. 27).’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ (v. 28). Jesus said to him: ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe’^m(v. 29). Footnote ^k says “Add. ‘other’”;  Footnote ^l  says “In the closing words of his gospel, John again calls the Christian reader’s attention to the wound in Christ’s side, cf. 19:34+.”; and Footnote ^m  says “ On the apostles’ witness, cf. Ac 1:8+.”

Verses 18 and 19 say: Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathize with them over their brother.

Parallel texts for verse 18 are:

1.       Jn 11:45 - Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him…

2.       Jn 12:9-11, 17-19 - Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead (v. 9). Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well (v. 10), since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus (v. 11). All who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were telling how they had witnessed it (v. 17); It was because of this, too, that the crowd came out to meet him: they had heard that he had given this sign (v. 18). Then the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see, there is nothing you can do; look, the whole world is running after him!’

Verse 20 says: When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sittingin the house.

Parallel text is Lk 10:39 that says: She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking

Verse 21 says: Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here,^e my brother would not have died.

Footnote ^e says “Add, ‘Lord’.”

Parallel text is Mk 11:24p that says: I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours.

Verses 22 and 23 say: but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you’.^f ‘Your brother’  said Jesus to her  ‘will rise again.’ Footnote  ^f  says “Martha has faith in Jesus but she stops short as if about to ask an impossibility.”

Parallel text for verse 22 is Mk 11:24 that says: I tell you therefore: everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours.

Verse 24 says: Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’

Parallel text is  Jn 2:19 that says: Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’.^h Footnote ^h says “In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus frequently uses terms which, in addition to their obvious meaning appreciated by the audience, possess a metaphorical and higher sense; cf. 2:20 (Temple); 3:4 (new birth); 4L15 (living water); 6:34 (bread of life); 7:35 (to depart); 11:11 (to awaken); 12:34 (to lift up); 13:9 (to wash); 13:36f (to depart); 14:22 (to show oneself). Consequent misapprehensions  provide an opportunity for explanatory developments, cf. 3:11+.”

Verse 25 says: Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection.^g  If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,^h. Footnote ^g says “Add ‘ and the life’.”; and Footnote ^h says “The man of faith has conquered death once and for all; the resurrection of Lazarus is the sign of this victory, cf. 3:11+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 8:51 - I tell you most solemnly, whoever keeps my word will never see death.

2.       Mt 22:23 - That day some Sadducees  - who deny that there is no resurrection^e - approached him and they put this question to him… Footnote ^e says “This sect, 3:7+, adhered rigidly to the written tradition, especially as contained in the Pentateuch; its members were confident that the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, cf. 2 M 7:9+, was not to be found in that tradition. On this point the Pharisees were opposed to the Sadducees. Cf. Ac 4:1+; 23:8.”

3.       Jn 5:24 - I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgment he has passed from death to life.

Verse 26 says: and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Parallel text is  1 Jn 3:14 that says: …we have passed out of death and into life, and of this we can be sure because we love our brothers.

Verses 27-32 say: ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house sympathizing with Mary saw  her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Parallel texts for verse 27 are:

1.       Jn 10:34 - Jesus answered: ‘Is it not written in your Law: I said, you are gods?^r Footnote ^r says “The words were addressed to magistrates whose function made them, in a sense, ‘gods’ because ‘judgment is God’s’, Dt 1:17; 19:17; Ex 21:6; Ps 58. Christ’s argument is a rabbinic a fortiori, te conclusion being that blasphemy is a surprising charge to bring when it is God’s consecrates envoy who calls himself Son fo God. On this title, ‘Son of God’, v. 36, cf. 5:25; 11:4,27; 20:17,31. Christ’s fate is henceforth to turn, cf. 19:7. See Mt 4:3+.”

2.       Jn 1:9,10+ - The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world (v. 9).^f He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him (v. 10).^g Footnote ^f says “Other possible translations ‘The true light, that which enlightens every man, was coming into the world’, or ‘He (the Word) was the true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world’.”; and Footnote ^g  says “The ‘world’ variously means: the cosmos or this earth, the human race, those hostile to God who hate Christ and his disciples, cf. 7:7; 15:18,19; 17:14. This last sense coincides with the contemporary Jewish distinction between ‘this world’, 8:23 and passim, dominated by Satan, 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1 Jn 5:19; and ‘the world to come’ which possibly corresponds to John’s ‘eternal life’, 12:25. The disciples are to remain in this world for the present, though not of it, 17:11,14f.”

Verses 33-37 say: At the sight of her tears,  and those of the Jews  who followed her,  Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?” They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 11:21, 38 – Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you have been here,^e my brother would not have died…” Footnote ^e says “Add, ‘Lord’.”

2.       Jn 13:21 - Having said this, Jesus was troubled and declared, “I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me…

3.       Jn 12:27 - Now my soul is troubled.^f What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour… Footnote ^f  says “This episode and Gethsemane have many details in common; the anguish of the ‘hour’ draws near, the appeal to the Father’s pity, the acceptance of death, the comfort from heaven (cf. Lk.). But we should note the dissimilarities: in Jn, Christ’s prayer for pity remains unuttered; nor does he ‘fall to the ground’ (Mt. Mk.) or ‘kneel’ (Lk).  Cf. Jn 18:4-6; 10:18+.”

  

Verses 38 and 39 say: Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away’. Marthaⁱ said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.”  Footnote ⁱ  says “Add. ‘the dead man’s sister’.”

Parallel text is Jn 11:33 that says: At the sight of her tears,  and those of the Jews  who followed her,  Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart…

Verse 40 says: Jesus replied, “Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

Parallel texts for verse  40 are:

1.       Jn 1:14 - The word was made flesh, ^m he lived among us, ⁿ and we saw his glory,^o the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. Footnote  ^m- The ‘flesh’ is man considered as a frail and mortal being, cf. 3:6, 17:2, Gn 6:3, Ps. 56:4, Is 40:6,see Rm 7:5+.”; Footnote ⁿ  says “Lit. ‘pitched his tent among us’. The incarnation of the Word makes God personally and visibly present to mankind; it is no longer a presence unseen and awe-inspiring as in the Tent and Temple of the old regime, Ex. 25:8+; Cf. Nb. 35:34, nor merely the presence of divine wisdom enshrined in Israel’s Mosaic Law, Si. 4:7-22; Ba. 3:36-4:4.”; and Footnote  ^o says: “The ‘glory’ is the manifestation of God’s presence, Ex. 24:16+. No one could see its brilliance and live, Ex 33:20+, but the human nature of the  word now screens this glory as the cloud once did. Yet at times  it pierces the veil, as the transfiguration, for instances, cf. Lk. 9:32, 35 (alluded to in Jn 1:14?) and when Jesus works miracles –‘signs’ that God is active in him, 2:11+, 11:40;cf. Ex. 14:24-27 and 15:7, 16:7f.  The resurrection will reveal the glory fully, cf. Jn 17:5+.”

2.       Jn 2:11 - This was the first of the signs^f given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee.  Footnote ^f  says “For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus, therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37;  and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.”

 Verse 41 says: So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes^j and said, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. Footnote ^j says “Add ‘upwards’, ‘to heaven’, ‘upwards to heaven’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 17:1  - ‘Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you…^b

Footnote ^b says “When Jesus asked to be ‘glorified’, it is not in his own interests, cf. 7:18; 8:50, but the glory of Son and father are not one, cf. 12:28; 13:31.”

2.       Mt 14:19 - He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowds.^d  Footnote  ^d says “ This miraculous bread, though not the Holy Eucharist, clearly prefigures and leads up to it. This is the view of the Fathers and indeed of the evangelists before them; cf. v. 19 with 26:26, and cf. Jn 6:1-15, 51-58.”

Verse 42 says: I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand around me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 1:1+ - In the beginning was the Word,^a the Word was with God and the Word was God (v . 1).He was in the beginning with God (v.2). Footnote ^a says “The O.T. speaks of the Word of God, and of his wisdom, present with God before the world was made, cf. Pr. 8:22+; Ws. 7:22+, by it all things were created, it is sent to earth to reveal the hidden designs of God; it returns to him with its work done, Is. 58:10-11, Pr. 8:22-36, Si. 24:3-22, Ws. 9:9-12.  On its creature role, cf. also Gn. 1:3,6 etc.: Is 40:8,26, 44:24-28; 48:13, Ps. 33:6, Jdt. 16:14, Si.42:15; on its mission, cf. Ws. 18:14-16, Ps.107:20; 147:15-18.  For John, too, 13:3, 16:28, the Word existed before the world in God, 1:1-2, 8:24+, 10:30+. It has come on earth, 1:9-14, 3:19, 12:46, cf. Mk 1:38+, being sent by the Father; 3:17,34,5:36, 43, 6:29, 7:29, 8:42, 9:7, 10:36, 11:42, 17:3,25,cf. Lk 4:43, to perform a task, 4:34+, namely, to deliver 3:11+, 8:21, 12:35, 13:3, 16:5, 17:11, 13, 20:17.  The incarnation enabled the N.T. and especially John, to see this separately and eternally existent Word-Wisdom as a person.”

2.       Jn 12:30 - Jesus answered, “It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours.^h  Footnote ^h says “Christ’s coming death is divinely and publicly sanctioned.”

Verse 43 says: When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, “Lazarus, here! Come out!”

Parallel text is Jn 5:27-29 that says: …and, because he is the Son of Man, has appointed him supreme judge (v. 27). Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice (v. 28):ⁱ those who did good will rise to life; and those who did evil, to condemnation (v. 29). Footnote  ⁱ says “The reference is to the resurrection of the dead at the last day, cf. Mt 22:29-32.”

Verse 44 says: The dead man came out, his feet and hand bound with bands of stuff and  a cloth round his face. So Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, let him go free.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 19:40 - They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloth, following the Jewish burial custom.

2.       Jn 20:5-7…he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in (v. 5)^b. Simon Peter, who was following  came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground (v. 6),and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself (v. 7). Footnote ^b says “The disciple acknowledges that Peter has some title of precedence. Cf. 21:15-17.”

Verse 45 says: Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 11:19 - and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathize with them over their brother.

2.       Jn 12:10 - Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well

The First Reading is taken from Ez 37:12-14.

Verses 12, 13 and 14 say: So prophesy. Say to them, The Lord Yahweh says this: I am going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have said and done this — it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.”’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ez 39:29 - I shall never hide my face from them again, since I shall pout out my spirit on the House of Israel – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.’

2.       1 Th 4:8 - in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.^e Footnote ^e  says “Ezekiel foretold that the Spirit would be given to the messianic people: this reference draws attention to the continuity between the church of Thessalonica and the giving of this gift to the early Christian community, Ac. 2:16f, 33,38, etc. On the gift of the Spirit to the spirit of each believer, cf. Rm. 5:5+.”

The Second Reading is taken Rm 8:8-11.

Verse 8 says: People who are only interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God.

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Jn 2:15-16 - You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world (v. 15), because nothing  the world has to offer – the sensual body, the lustful eye, pride in possessions - ^f could ever come from the Father. Footnote ^f says “Lit. ‘the ostentation of living’.”

2.       Rm 7:5-6 - Before our conversions our sinful passions, quite unsubdued by the Law, fertilized our bodied to make them give birth to death (v. 5). But now we are rid of the Law, freed by death from our imprisonment, free to serve in the new spiritual way and not the old way of a written law (v. 6).

Verses 9 and 10 say: Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be  dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then spirit is life itself because have been justified^f.

Parallel texts for verse 9 are:

1.       Ps 51:11…do not banish me from your presence, do not deprive me of your holy spirit.^g Footnote ^g  says “Here considered as the principle (within man but given by God) of moral and religious activity, whether of the individual, 143:10; Ws 1:5; 9:17, or of the nation as a whole, Is. 63:11; Hg 2:5; Ne 9:20.”

2.       Jn 3:5-6 - Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit,^c  he cannot enter the kingdom of God (v. 5). What s born of flesh is flesh; what is born of spirit is spirit (v. 6). Footnote ^c  says “Allusion to baptism and its necessity, cf. Rm. 6:4+.”

Verse 11 says: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you^g. Footnote^g  says “The resurrection of the Christian is intimately dependent on that of Christ, 1 Th 4:14; 1 Co 6:14; 15:20f; 2 Co 4:14; 13:4; Rm 6:5; Ep 2:6; Col 1:18; 2:12f; 2 Tm 2:11. It is by the same power and the same gift if the Spirit, cf. Rm 1:4+, that the Father will raise them to life their turn.  This operation is already being prepared: a new life is making the Christians into sons (v.14) in the likeness of the Son himself, 8:29+, and they are being incorporated into the risen Christ by faith, 1:16+, and baptism, 6:4+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 6:4+ -In other words, ^a when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, ^b so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. Footnote ^a says “Lit. ‘therefore’; var. ‘for’”; Footnote ^b  says “Baptism is not separated from faith but goes with it, Ga. 3:6f, Ep. 4:5, Heb. 10:22, cf. Ac. 12f,37, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:2-5, and gives it outward expression by the operative symbolism of the baptismal ceremonial. For this reason, Paul ascribes to faith and to baptism the same effects (cf. Ga. 2:16-20 and Rm. 6:3-9). The sinner is immersed in water (the etymological meaning of ‘baptize’ is ‘dip’) and thus ‘buried’ with Christ, Col. 2:12, with whom also he emerges to ‘resurrection’, Rm. 8:11+, as a ‘new creature’, 2 Co. 5:17+, a ‘new man’, Ep. 2:15+, a member of the one Body animated by the one Spirit, 1 Co. 12:13, Ep. 4:4f. This resurrection will not be complete or final until the end of time, 1 Co. 15:12+ (but cf. Ep. 2:6), but is already taking place in the form of a new life lived ‘in the Spirit’, vv. 8:11,13, 8:2f, Ga. 5:16-24. The death-resurrection symbolism of baptism is particularly Pauline, but this initial rite of Christian life, Heb. 6:22, is also spoken of in the NT, as a cleansing bath, Ep.5:26, Heb. 10:22, cf. 1 Co. 6:11, Tt. 3:5, a new birth, Jn. 3:5, Tt. 3:5, cf. 1 P. 1:3, cf. Ep. 5:14. On the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, cf. Ac. 1:5+;  these two aspects of the consecration of the Christian are apparently the ‘anointing’ and the seal’ of 2 Co. 1:21f. According to 1 P. 3:21, the ark of Noah is an antetype of baptism.”

2.       Ezk 37:10 - I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army.^d Footnote ^d  says “Here, as in Ho 6:2, 13:14 and Is 26:19, God announces, vv. 11-14, the messianic restoration of Israel after the sufferings of the Exile, cf. Rv 20:4+. But also, by the imagery chosen, he is already preparing minds for the idea of an individual resurrection of the body, vaguely perceived in Jb 19:25+ and explicitly stated in Dn 12:2; 2 M 7:9-14,23-36; 12:43-46; cf 2 M7:9+. For the NT, see Mt 22:29-32 and especially 1 Co 15.”

3.       Rm 1:4 - It is about Jesus Christ our Lord who is the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that is in him, was proclaimed^c Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.^d Footnote ^c  says “Vulg. ‘predestined’”; and Footnote ^d  says “For Paul Christ rose only because God raised him, 1 Th. 1:10; 1 Co. 6:14; 15:15; 2 Co. 4:14; Ga. 1:1; Rm. 4:24; 10:9; Ac. 2:24+; cf. 1 P. 1:21, thus displaying his ‘power’, 2 Cor. 13:4; Rm. 6:4; Ph. 3:10; Col. 2:12; Ep. 1:19f; Heb. 7:16;  and because God raised him to life through the Holy Spirit, Rm. 8:11. Christ is established in glory as Kyrios, Ph 2:9-11+; Ac 2:36; Rm 14:9, deserving anew, this time in virtue of his messianic work, the name he had from eternity, ‘son of God’, Ac 13:33, Heb 1:5; %:5. Cf. Rm 8:11+; 9:5+.”

4.       Rm 6:8-11 - But^d we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him (v. 8): Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore (v. 9).When he died, he died, once and for all, to sin,^e so his life now is life with God (v. 10). And in that way, you too must  consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus (v. 11)^f. Footnote ^d says “Var ‘For’’; Footnote ^e says “Christ was sinless, 2 Cor. 5:21, but having a physical body like our own, Rm. 8:3, he belonged to the order of sin; when he became ‘spiritual’, 1 Co. 15:45-46, he belonged only to the divine order. Similarly, though the Christian remains in the flesh for a time, he already lives in the spirit.’; and Footnote ^f  says “Text. Rec and Vulg. ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’.”

BLIND SINCE BIRTH - 4th Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Homily for the 4^th Sunday of (Cycle A)

Based on Jn 9:1-41 (Gospel), 1 S 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 (First Reading) and Eph 5:8-14 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

BLIND SINCE BIRTH

“God does not see as man sees” (1 S 16:7)

The Gospel narrative is taken from Jn 9:1-41. It is under the title “The Cure Of The Man Born Blind”. Parallel text is from Is 42:7 that says: To open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.

Verses 1, 2 and 3 say: As he went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi , who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind? ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God^a might be displayed in him. Footnote ^a  says “‘Signs’, cf. 2:11+”.

Parallel texts for verse 3 are:

1.       Jn 5:14 - After a while Jesus met him in the temple and said, ‘Now you are well again, be sure not to sin anymore, or something worse may happen to you.’^d.  Footnote ^d says “Jesus does not say that the disease was the result of sin, cf. 9:2f. He warns the man that the cure is a divine favor that must be acknowledged by conversion, cf. Mt 9:2-8; to forget this is to risk something worse than the diseases. The miracle is therefore a ‘sign’ of spiritual resurrection, v. 24.”

2.       Lk 13:2 - At this he said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans who suffered like that that were greater sinners than any other Galileans?

Verse 4 says: ‘As long as the day lasts I must^b carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.^c Footnote ^b  says “Var, ‘we must’.”; and Footnote ^c  says “The life of Jesus is compared to a day’s work, 5:17, ending with the night of death. Cf. Lk 13:32.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 11:9-10 - Jesus replied: ”Are there not twelve hours in a day? A man can walk I the daytime without stumbling because he has the light of this world to see by (v. 9); but if he walks at night he stumbles, because there is no light to guide him.’

2.       Jn 12:35-36 - Jesus then said: ‘The light will be with you only a little longer now. Walk^m while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you; he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going (v. 35). While you still have the light, believe in the light and you will become sons of light (v. 36).’ Footnote ^m says “Jesus urges the Jews to believe in him before it is too late, cf. 7:34.”

3.       Jn 4:34 - But Jesus said: ‘My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work.

4.       Jn 5:16 - It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus.^e Footnote ^e  says “The episode is concluded in 7:19-23. The discourse of 5:19-47 falls into two parts: 1. The Father commit lifegiving power to the Son, vv. 19-30; 2. The Father bears witness to the Son: a. through the Baptist, b. through the works the Father does through Jesus, c. through the scriptures (Moses), vv. 31-47.”

Verses 5 and 6 say: As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.’^d Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man… Footnote ^d  says “Before the miracle takes place its significance is pointed out, cf.9:37.”

Parallel texts for verse 5 are:

1.       Jn 8:12 - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.

2.       Mt 5:14 - You are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden.

3.       Jn 9:37 - Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you’.

Verses 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 say:…and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam^e (a name that mean ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored. His neighbors and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one’. Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him’. The man himself said, ‘I am the man’. So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open? I washed I could see.’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when they asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered. They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. Footnote ^e  says “The water drawn from here during the feast of Tabernacles symbolized the blessings of the messianic age. Henceforth, the source of these blessings is Jesus himself. ‘The envoy’, or ‘the one sent’, is one of Jn’s favorite names for Christ, cf. 3:17,34; 5:36, etc.”

Parallel texts for verse 7 are:

1.       2 K 5:10 - And Elisha sent him a messenger to say, ‘Go and bather seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more’.

2.       Is 8:6 - Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah^e which flow in tranquility, and trembles^f  before Razon and the son of Remaliah… Footnote  ^e says “Jerusalem’s only spring, cf. 2 K 20:20+, symbolizes the hidden protection of God, the true source of confidence.”; and Footnote ^f  says “‘trembles (lit. ‘melts’) before’ corr.; ‘rejoices’ Hebr.”

Verses 14 and 15 say: It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste^f and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see’. Footnote ^f  says “Such work was forbidden on the sabbath.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 5:9 - The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.

2.       Mt 12:10fp - And a man was there at that time who had a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it against the law to cure on the Sabbath day?” hoping for something to use against him.

3.       Lk 13:10f  - One Sabbath day he was teaching in one of the synagogue…

4.       Lk 14:1f  - Now on a sabbath day he had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely.

Verse 16 says: Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath’. Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them.

Parallel text for verse 16 is Jn 3:2 that says: ..who came to Jesus by night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him’.

Verses 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 say: So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight,^g without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who say was born blind? Is so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we don’t know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes.^h He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ Footnote ^g  says “Om. ‘that the man had been blind and had gained his sight’.”; and Footnote ^h  says “Add. ‘ask him’“

Verses 22-30 say: His parents spoke like this out of fear of Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him’. So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God!ⁱ For our part, we know that this man is a sinner. The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see’. They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too? At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke Moses, but as for his man, we don’t know where he comes from’. The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from!  Footnote ⁱ  says “A biblical phrase putting a person under oath to tell the truth and to make reparation for his insult to the divine majesty, cf. Jos 7:19; 1 S 6:5.”

Parallel texts for verse 22 are:

1.       Jn 7:13 - Yet no one spoke about him openly, for fear of the Jews.

2.       Jn 12:42 - And yet there were many who did believe in him, even among the leading men, but they did not admit it, through fear of the Pharisees and fear of being expelled from the synagogue…

Verses 31 and 32 say: We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind,^j  if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ Footnote ^j says “There are many points of resemblance between ch. 9 and 3:1-21, and it is probable that to the evangelist’s mind the cure of the man born blind is a symbol of the new birth through water and the Spirit, 3:3-7.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 10:21 - Others said, ‘These are not the words of a man possessed by a devil: could a devil open the eyes of the blind.

2.       Pr 15:29 - Yahweh stands far from the wicked, but he listens to the prayers of the virtuous.

3.       Is 1:15 - When you stretch out your hands I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not listen. Your hands are covered with blood…

Verse  33 says: if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’

Parallel text is  Jn 3:2 that says: ...who came to Jesus by night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him’.

Verse 34 and 35 say: ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away. Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

Parallel text is Jn 7:49 that says: This rabble knows nothing about the Law-they are damned.’

Verse 36 says: ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’

Parallel text is Mt 8:20 that says:  Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man^h has nowhere to lay his head.’  Footnote ^h says “ With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the  gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly  opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

Verse 37 says: Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you’.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 4:26  - ‘I who am speaking to you,’ said Jesus ‘I am he.’

2.       Jn 9:5 - As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.’^d Footnote ^d  says “Before the miracle takes place its significance is pointed out, cf.9:37.”

Verse 38 says: ^kThe man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.  Footnote ^k  says “Om. All v. 38 and first two words of v. 39.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 8:10 - When Jesus heard this, he was astonished  and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith^b like this. Footnote ^b says “ The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miracles unless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”

2.       Mt 23:16  - ‘Alas for you, blind guides! You say,ⁱ “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound”. Footnote ^I  says “The question of oaths: to release from those that has been hastily made the rabbis had to invoke tortuous reasoning.”

Verse 39 says: Jesus said: ‘It is for judgment that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight^l turn blind’. Footnote ^l  says “The complacent who trust to their own ‘light’, cf. vv. 24,29,34, as opposed to the humble, typified by the blind man. Cf. Dt 29:3; Is 6:9f; Jr 5:21; Ezk 12:2.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 8:12 - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.

2.       Jn1:1+ - In the beginning was the Word,^a the Word was with God and the Word was God. Footnote ^a  says “The O.T. speaks of the Word of God, and of his wisdom, present with God before the world was made, cf. Pr. 8:22+; Ws. 7:22+, by it all things were created, it is sent to earth to reveal the hidden designs of God; it returns to him with its work done, Is. 58:10-11, Pr. 8:22-36, Si. 24:3-22, Ws. 9:9-12.  On its creature role, cf. also Gn. 1:3,6 etc.: Is 40:8,26, 44:24-28; 48:13, Ps. 33:6, Jdt. 16:14, Si.42:15; on its mission, cf. Ws. 18:14-16, Ps.107:20; 147:15-18.  For John, too, 13:3, 16:28, the Word existed before the world in God, 1:1-2, 8:24+, 10:30+. It has come on earth, 1:9-14, 3:19, 12:46, cf. Mk 1:38+, being sent by the Father; 3:17,34,5:36, 43, 6:29, 7:29, 8:42, 9:7, 10:36, 11:42, 17:3,25,cf. Lk 4:43, to perform a task, 4:34+, namely, to deliver 3:11+, 8:21, 12:35, 13:3, 16:5, 17:11, 13, 20:17.  The incarnation enabled the N.T. and especially John, to se this separately and eternally existent Word-Wisdom as a person.”

3.       Mt 13:13 - The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.^e Footnote ^e says “The deliberate and culpable insensibility which is both the cause and the explanation of the withdrawal of grace. The preceding narratives, all o which throw light on this ‘hardening’, 11;16-19,20-24; 12:7,14,24-32,34,39,45, prepare the way for the parable discourse. Those who saw so dimly could only be further blinded by the light of full revelation, Mk 1:34+. Jesus, therefore, does not reveal with complete clarity the true nature of the messianic kingdom which is unostentatious. Instead he filters the light through symbols, the resulting half-light is nevertheless a grace from God, an invitation to ask for something better and accept something greater.”

4.       2 Th 2:12 - In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.

Verse 40 says: Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 5:21 - Who to those who think themselves wise and believe themselves cunning.

2.       Mt 15:14p  - Leave them alone. They are blind men leading blind men; and if ne blind man leads another, both will fall into the pit.

3.       Rm 2:19 - If you are convinced you can guide the blind and be a beacon to those in the dark…

Verse 41 says: Jesus replied: ‘Blind? If you were,^m you would not be guilty, but since you say “We see”, your guilt remains.  Footnote ^m  says “I.e if you knew you were blind, as blind men do.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 3:36 - Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: the anger of God stays on him.

2.       Jn 12:48 - He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.

3.       Mt 23:16f  - ‘Alas for you, blind guides! You say,ⁱ “If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound”.  Footnote ⁱ says “The question of oaths: to release from those that had been hastily made the rabbis had to invoke tortuous reasoning.

The First Reading  is from 1 S 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 under the title “David is anointed^a”. Footnote a says: ^“The episode appears to derive  from the prophetic tradition and remains unrelated to the subsequent history in which David is anointed at Hebron by the men of Judah, 2 S 2:4, and then by the elders of Israel,2 S 5:3, without any further mention of the present anointing of which, according to 17:28, and despite 16:13, Eliab has no knowledge.”

Verses 1 and 6 say: Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill you horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely Yahweh’s anointed one stands there before him’,

Parallel text is 1 Ch 11:3 that says: So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a pact with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh, and they anointed David king of Israel, in accordance with the word of Yahweh through Samuel.

Verse 7 says: but Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see^b as man sees; man looks at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart’. Footnote ^b  says “‘God sees’ Greek.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 S 9:2 - He had a son named Saul,^b a handsome man in the prime of his life. Of all the Israelites there was no more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than the rest of the people. Footnote ^b  says “i.e. ‘asked for’ (from God).”

2.       1 S 10:23 - So they ran and brought him out and,  as he stood among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than them all.

3.       Jb 10:4 - Have you got human eyes? Do you see as mankind see?

4.       Ps 147:10f - The strength of the war horse means nothing to him, it is not infantry that interests him.

5.       Pr 15:11 - Sheol and Perdition lie open to Yahweh; how much more the hearts of mankind!

6.       Is 55:8-9…for my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways—it is Yahweh who speaks (v. 8). Yes, the heavens are as high above the earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts. (v. 9).

7.       Jr 11:20 - But, you, Yahweh Sabaoth, who pronounce a just sentence who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.^j Footnote ^j  says “‘I have committed’ corr.; ‘I have revealed’ Hebr. On such appeals to God for revenge, cf. Ps 5:10+.”

8.       Jr 17:10 - I, Yahweh, search to the heart, I probe the loins,  to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.

9.       Jr 20:12 - But you, Yahweh Sabaoth, you who probe with justice, who scrutinize the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.^g Footnote ^g  says “‘with justice’ two Hebr. MSS, Syr., Arab., cf. 11:20: ‘the just man’ Hebr. ‘committed’ corr., cf. 11:20; ‘revealed’ Hebr. This verse, a repetition of 11:20, does not seem to have belonged here originally.”

Verse 10 says: Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Yahweh has not chosen these’.

Parallel text is 1 S 17:2 that says: Saul and the Israelites also mustered, pitching camped in the valley of the Terebinth, and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.

Verse 11 says: He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have? He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep’. Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes’.

Parallel text is 2 S 7:8 that says: This is what you must say to my servant David, “Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be the leader of my people Israel…

Verses 12 and 13 say: Jesse had him sent for, a boy^c of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. Yahweh said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of Yahweh seized on David^d and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.. Footnote ^c says  “‘a boy’ conj.”; and Footnote ^d says “‘The spirit of God’ possesses David without external manifestation and in close association with the anointing: this is the grace bestowed on one consecrated. The name ‘David’ is an ancient semitic word for ‘commander’, ‘military leader’.”

Parallel texts for verse 12 are:

1.       1 S 9:2 - He had a son named Saul,^b a handsome man in the prime of his life. Of all the Israelites there was no more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than the rest of the people.

Footnote

2.       Gn 39:6 - So he left Joseph to handle all his possessions, and with him at hand, concerned himself with nothing beyond the food he ate.

3.       2 S 14:25 - In the whole of Israel there was no man who could be praised for his beauty as much as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was not blemish on him.

4.       1 S 9:17 - When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh told him, ‘That is the man of whom I told you; he shall rule my people.

The Second Reading is from Eph 5:8-14.

Verses 8 to 13 say: Make sure that you are not included with them. You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated.

 Parallel texts  for verse 8 are:

1.       Ep 4:18 - Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, without knowledge because they have shut their hearts to it.

2.       Jb 24:13 - Others of themⁱ hate the light,  no nothing of its ways, avoid its paths. Footnote ⁱ says “This attack on the enemies of light (possibly an independent poem inserted here by the author) brings us back to the oppressors:  God allows them to work in the dark. ‘light’ has here a moral sense also, cf. Jn. 8:12+.”

3.       Jn 8:12 - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.

4.       2 Co 4:6 - It is the same God that said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness,” who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ.

5.       2 Co 6:14 - ^cDo not harness yourselves in an uneven team with unbelievers. Virtue is no companion for crime. Light and darkness have nothing in common. Footnote ^c says “6:14-7:1 is a warning against the infiltration of pagan practices which would split the church and cut it off from its founder. This section is somewhat alien to the context, cf. Introduction.”

6.       Col 1:12-13…thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.^c (v.12). Because it is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of his Son that he loves (v. 13). Footnote ^c  says “Lit. ‘Thanking the Father (for) having made you (var. ‘us’) fit for the part of the lot of the saints in the light’; var. ‘for having called you (var. ‘us’) to…’ The ‘lot of the saints’ is what all holy people are to inherit, i.e. the ‘salvation’ that had been thought of as a bequest made exclusively to Israel. Now, non-Jews are called to share it, cf. Ep 1:11-13. The word ‘saints’ (lit. ‘holy ones’) here can mean either Christians, i.e. people called to live the ‘life of light’ while still living on earth, Rm 1:7f, cf. Jn 8:12f, or it can mean the angels who live with God in the eschatological ‘light’, cf. Ac 9:13+.”

7.       1 Th 5:4-8 - But it is not as if you live in the dark, my brothers, for that Day^c to overtake you like a thief (v. 4). No you are all sons of light and sons of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness (v. 5), so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober (v. 6). Night is the time for sleepers to sleep and drunkards to be drunk (v. 7), but we belong to the day and we should be sober, let us put on faith and love for a breastplate, and the hope of salvation for a helmet (v. 8). Footnote ^c  says “Mention ‘the Day’ without further qualification, 1 Co 1:8+, helps Apostle Paul to introduce the mention of light and day and contrast ‘wakefulness’ with the dark, night and sleep (in a different sense from 4:13f), and also make the contrast between Christians (sons of the light) and others (sons of darkness), cf. Jn 8:12+.”

Verse 14 say: and anything illuminated turns into light.^b That is why it is said:^c Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.^d Footnote ^b  says “The wrong sort of way to talk about sexual immorality is the way that leaves the subject in a dangerous obscurity, v. 3. To talk about it in such a way however that it is recognized for what it is will lead to its being corrected: this sort of light is the light of Christ that puts an end to darkness.”; Footnote ^c  says “This (like 1 Tm 3:16) seems to be an ancient extract from an early Christian hymn. On baptism as an enlightening, cf. Heb 6:4; 10:32 (cf. Rm 6:4+).”; and  Footnote ^d  says “ Var. ‘and you will touch Christ’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jn 3:20-21 - And indeed, everybody  who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed (v. 20), but the man who lives by the truth^j comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done by God.’(v. 21). Footnote ^j says “Lit. ‘does the truth’, cf. 1 Jn. 3:19+.”

2.       Is 26:19 - Your dead will come to life, their^e corpses will rise; awake, exult, all you who lie in the dust, for your^f dew is a radiant dew and the land of ghosts will give birth.^g  Footnote ^e says “‘their’ Syr., Targ.; ‘my’ Hebr.”; Footnote ^f  says “‘your’ singular.”; and Footnote ^g  says “A prophecy of resurrection ( 2 M 7:9+) according to some, of Israel’s national revival (cf. Ezk 37) according to others.”

3.       Is 60:1 - Arise, shine out, for your light has come, the glory of Yahweh is rising on you.

4.       Heb 6:4 - As for those people who were once  brought into the light, and tasted the gift from heaven, and received a share of the holy Spirit….

5.       Heb 10:32 - Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet  after you had received the light,^d in earlier days. Footnote ^d  says “‘Enlightenment’ or ‘illumination’ in NT as in patristic writers always refers to baptism, 6:4; Ep 5:14 (cf Rm 6:4+).”

Homily:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Blindness is the condition of poor visual perception.

Causes of blindness:

Permanent blindness – either only one or both eyeballs and the optic nerves are cut, impaired or defective; Temporary blindness – temporary impairment of the eyes.