Month: March 2020

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Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020

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Mass Readings

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First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
Responsorial: Psalm 130:1-8
Second Reading: Romans 8:8-11
Gospel: John 11:1-45

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032920.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Hello, my brothers and sisters! I hope this reflection finds you in good health and good spirits as you, indeed as we all cope with shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements. Today’s readings are filled with so much Good News that it’s hard to know where to begin. Let’s start with today’s Gospel account from John.

Jesus learns that his dear friend Lazarus has died. One line from this long passage that always gets me is, “And Jesus wept,” (John 11:35). Whoa! My brothers and sisters, we are not alone. That’s a powerful message to hear in these strange times. You see, the devil’s only real power is to spread fear and doubt. Many of us feel isolated, so we are particularly vulnerable to giving into fear and doubt. If you find yourself watching or listening to the news 24/7, then you are especially vulnerable to giving into fear and doubt. But the Good News from today’s Gospel is that we are not alone. Our God loves us and just as Jesus wept for Lazarus, Jesus is here for us.

We are Christians. Death has no power over us. There is nothing to fear, because our God is waiting for us with open arms. We hear from our first reading from Ezekiel that God promises to open our graves and have us rise from them (EZ 37:12, 14). Paul tells us in Romans that same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is with us and gives us life, (Romans 8:11).

In today’s Gospel, we can learn from Jesus how best to pray. He turns to God and He says, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me…” (John 11:41-42). How often do we turn to God in prayer and immediately dive in and list all the things we need from God – especially right now?

How should we pray? We begin from a position of faith, not fear. We are Christian and no bug should scare us. If you believe, I mean if you really believe, then how can be we be afraid? We turn to God with belief that no matter what happens, we are united with God and with the entire community of believers – those who came before, those with us now and those yet to be born.

You see, Jesus’ prayer before Lazarus’ tomb rooted in His faith in the Father shines a light into the darkness that shrouds our world. <1> Jesus’ prayer reminds us that God and faith in God are more precious than any gift or any answer to our prayers. <2> God’s presence in our lives means we are not alone. So, no matter what the devil threatens to throw at us (uncertainty, fear, doubt), with faith we can proclaim from our windows and our balconies, this too shall pass.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God proclaimed and by Spiritual Communion, I ask you to reflect on the following two questions this week.

  1. We heard in the Gospel that when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. Where do I meet Jesus? How can I make spending time with the Lord a priority?
  2. We also heard in the Gospel that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. How can I be more open to God’s will in my life?

I think doing our homework this week will help prepare us for Holy Week. Do you got it? Do you get it? Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Citations:
<1> Fr. John Eckert, “5th Sunday of Lent – March 29, 2020,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, February 26, 2020, Accessed March 29, 2020, https://www.hprweb.com/2020/02/homilies-for-march-2020/.
<2> Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2604.

References:

  1. Eckert, John. “5th Sunday of Lent – March 29, 2020.” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, February 26, 2020. Accessed March 29, 2020, https://www.hprweb.com/2020/02/homilies-for-march-2020/.
  2. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
  3. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.
  4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
  5. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017.

Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

  1. Christ’s human knowledge, 471-74
  2. Jesus’ heart, 478
  3. Signs of the kingdom, 547-50
  4. Raisings a messianic sign prefiguring Christ’s resurrection, 549, 640, 646
  5. Christ’s risen humanity, 645-46
  6. Christ’s resurrection and ours, 658, 995
  7. Names of the Spirit, 693
  8. Law of the Spirit, 972
  9. General resurrection, 988-91, 1002-4
  10. The resurrection, 992-1004
  11. Dying in Christ, 1005-14
  12. The Eucharist and the Resurrection, 1402-5, 1524
  13. Christ the physician, 1503-5
  14. Jesus’ prayer, 2599-2606

Fifth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 34
Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032920.cfm

First Reading
Ezekiel 37:12-14
Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Responsorial
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8.
R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Second Reading
Romans 8:8-11
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.

Verse Before The Gospel
John 11:25A, 26
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

Gospel
John 11:1-45
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.

So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,

“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,

“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

Or
John 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
+Let us go back to Judea.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
Your brother will rise.”
Martha said,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”

So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

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ATC 9 The Annunciation and the Liturgy

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Pope Paul VI said, “Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground.”

Welcome to All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and I’m so glad you’re here! Together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord. In other words, today is nine months until Christmas! In the light of these extraordinary times, we look forward to Christmas with great hope.

Why should we care about the annunciation? Or for that matter, why should we care about Lent? Why is the Church calendar arranged this way? What are all these liturgical seasons about?

We all belong to different groups – like our nations. As a people, we name and we remember certain days. For example, in the United States, some of the days we celebrate include the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day. Dates like these are wildly important to shaping life of our communities. They also help shape our collective national identity. But this practice of naming and remembering days is much older than the United States – indeed much older than all of our countries.

This idea of naming and remembering has its roots in our shared Judeo-Christian heritage. The Ten Commandments call on us to remember and keep the Sabbath, for example. What would the Christian calendar be with Christmas or Easter? This practice of naming and remember affect each of us personally, and yet enable us to share together as a community. <1>

The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, organizes the way we worship God the Father and Jesus Christ throughout the course of the year. The Church also gives us opportunities to consider the lives of people who serve as powerful examples to all of us in living a life rooted in Christ Jesus. For example, today is the Annunciation. Today, we focus on Scripture readings that help us celebrate a courageous young woman named Mary who, apparently without fear or hesitation, told the archangel Gabriel yes, she would set aside her dreams and follow God’s plan for her life.

During the days of the week, the Church might ask us to remember a particular saint – someone who was not perfect, but who demonstrated heroic virtue like martyrdom or courage. We remember them because their lives offer us concrete examples about how each of us might live our lives for Jesus Christ.

But here’s the catch: none of them matter – Mary doesn’t matter and the saints don’t matter – on their own. They are only important to us in the light of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, these people are just ordinary people whose lives we would have no reason to remember. It is because of the way they lived their lives for Jesus that matters. So when we remember these people, we remember them in the context of our faith in Jesus Christ.

So, the Church arranges the calendar in a way that we contemplate Jesus Christ. We begin the year with Advent – those weeks leading up to Christmas which serve as a challenge to reflect on our priorities and to refocus our lives on Jesus Christ. Then, we celebrate Christmas and the season Christmastime. We rejoice by remembering that the Savior has come!

The next major season is Lent, the season we currently observe. This is another opportunity to clean our respective houses and prepare ourselves for Triduum. Triduum refers to what we refer to as Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, to the Great Vigil of Easter. On one level, the Triduum is one solemn commemoration of Christ’s death and resurrection. On another level, it is the culmination – the high point of the entire liturgical year.

Next comes Eastertime – fifty days of celebrating and rejoicing about the resurrection. Historically speaking, even before Lent took shape, we’ve celebrated the resurrection until Pentecost. In fact, every Sunday for Catholics is a mini-Easter when we celebrate the resurrection. Why? Because this is what it’s all about – from the incarnation to the resurrection, Jesus is the promised salvation of God.

Now for 32 weeks of the year, from Pentecost to Advent and a few weeks between Christmastime and Lent, we celebrate ordinary time. “Ordinary” in this case doesn’t mean commonplace. In this case, “ordinal” or “counted.” <2> You see, the Church includes as much Scripture as possible and to do that, it divides Scripture by weeks. Since the Gospel accounts each have a particular theme, and since we pull from John’s account during Lent, the Church dedicates time for us to consider the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

We spend the Sundays in one year focusing on Matthew which we call Year A; then Mark in Year B, and Luke in Year C. During the week, there’s a two-year cycle of readings, some repeats from the Sundays, and some not. I know this is a digression, but if you include the cycle of Scripture prayed during the Liturgy of the Hours or the Daily Office, then altogether the Church will have read nearly 80% of the entire Bible over the course of three years. Just like in everyday life, what gets planned gets done. The Church doesn’t leave contemplating Scripture to chance.

I just mentioned the Liturgy of the Hours. What’s the Liturgy of the Hours? We’ll take that up in another episode, but here’s the reader’s digest version. It’s a sequence of psalms and other Scripture passages prayed over the course of the day. You see, Christians have from the beginning continued the Jewish tradition of praying seven times a day. Today, consecrated religious orders and priests continue this tradition, while deacons pray only part of the hours. The laity are not required to keep any of the hours, but they can voluntarily do so.

Okay, I digress, but the point is that the life of the Church over the course of the year is organized in way that helps us contemplate God’s saving action through Jesus Christ from the incarnation to the ascension. That’s why, on a day like today, we take time to recall when the archangel Gabriel visited Mary. Reflecting on the annunciation helps us look with hope to Christmas, and right now, we could use all the hope we can get!

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. You’re listening to All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join us again next time and don’t forget to check out the weekend edition where we break open the Word. Peace!

Notes:
<1> Huck, Gabe and Gerald T. Chinchar, Liturgy with Style and Grace, Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1998, 92.
<2> Ibid, 105.

References:
1. Huck, Gabe and Gerald T. Chinchar. Liturgy with Style and Grace. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1998.
2. Metzger, Marcel. History of the Liturgy: The Major Stages. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1997.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent 2020

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Mass Readings

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First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A
Responsorial: Psalm 23: 1-3A, 3B-6
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
Gospel: John 9:1-41

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032220.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

These are strange times, to be sure! But my brothers and sisters, I have Good News! Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “I am in the light of the world,” (John 9:5). That is such an important message for us all to hear and to believe. And it is an important message for us to share.

Someone you know right now is a healthcare worker, or a police officer or in the national guard or some other person vital to helping us get through this crisis, like people who work at power plants, sanitation workers, employees at grocery stores, pharmacies, cell phone companies, even online entertainment streaming companies. It’s so easy to be overcome by news about the virus or about the economy, especially for people who put their faith in the world.

But my brothers and sisters, we are saved only by Jesus Christ. There are people out there right now who are nervous or frightened. But Christian disciples – those who are born anew through the waters of baptism and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are called to bear witness to the truth.

As St. Paul tells us today, we need to live as children of the light, (Ephesians, 5:8). We need to share the light of Jesus Christ with others and we need to care of our Christian communities.

What does that mean? Let’s talk through some practical discipleship, in no particular order.

First, if you know someone who works in healthcare, law enforcement, the national guard, or some other employee who is required to work right now, reach out to them. They may not be able to receive a call, but maybe send them a text message or if you can, mail them a card. Let them know you are praying for them, and as one of my friends in the UK says, let them know how bloody marvelous they are!

Second, check on your family and friends – especially anyone you know who lives alone. Stay connected. Sure, messenger apps are fine, but actually try to call. Talk to encourage each other and find out if there is anything they need. It’s totally possible to help. An expat friend living in Ireland was able to reach out to a grocery store in the States and arrange for a grocery order and delivery to an elderly relative. Technology gives us so many creative opportunities to help one another. Don’t underestimate how you can help.

For those who can venture out, asking your friends, especially those who live alone and might be at higher risk, if you can pick up something for them while you’re out is a huge help! Even a book of crossword puzzles can really help lift spirits.

And one of the final things you can do, don’t forget about your Christian community – the physical building that is the anchor of our Christian communities. Regardless of the situation, you’ve got to keep the lights on – you’ve got to pay the bills. So please, if you can, send your regular contribution to your local church. They really need the money to help keep the doors so that when this crisis is over, we can all come back together.

We are Christian and if there ever was a time to show your love for others, it’s now.

Like the old Christian hymn says, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love!”

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God proclaimed and by an act of Spiritual Communion, I ask you to reflect on the following two questions:

  1. The blind man went and washed, and came back able to see. How can I be more attentive to the needs of those around me?
  2. He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshipped him. How can I dedicate more time to prayer, worship and service?

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! Y’all stay safe and flatten the curve! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

References:

  1. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
  2. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.
  3. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
  4. Williamson, Peter S. Ephesians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009.

Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

  1. Christ the light of the nations, 280, 529, 748, 1165, 2466, 2715
  2. Original Sin, 396-406
  3. Jesus is the Son of David, 439, 496, 559, 2616
  4. Christians are to be light of the world, 782, 1243, 2105
  5. Witnessing to the truth, 905, 909, 2044, 2471-73
  6. Liturgical signs and symbols, 1145-52
  7. Baptism is illumination, 1216
  8. Forgiveness of sins, 1229-33
  9. Punishments of sin, 1263-64
  10. Christian initiation, 1472-73
  11. Various kinds of sin, 1852
  12. Mortal sin, 1861
  13. Idolatry, 2113
  14. Covetousness as impurity and as greed, 2514-15; 2534-38
  15. The pure in heart, 2518-19
  16. Modesty, 2521-22
  17. Greed, 2535-38

Fourth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 31
Mass Readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032220.cfm

First Reading
1 Samuel 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A
The LORD said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

Responsorial
Psalm 23: 1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6.
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Second Reading
Ephesians 5:8-14
Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

Verse Before The Gospel
John 8:12
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Gospel
John 9:1-41
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”

He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

or
Jn 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.