Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 19, 2023
Hearing the Word
John 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
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.
Reflecting on the Word
In Genesis, we are told that God created us in his "image and likeness." When God created people of different sizes, he created them in his image. When God created people of different colors, he created them in his image. When God created people of different abilities: deaf, blind, autistic, ADD, dyslexic, and so on, he created them in his image. God does not make mistakes. When God created each human being he said, "It is very good." Every part of what makes them who they are is "very good." God has a plan to use each of us to build his Kingdom and he needs our unique looks, personalities, and abilities to do that. God made you exactly as you are so that "the works of God might be made visible" through you! Praise God for you, exactly as you are!
Adapted from Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families
Discussing the Word
ON THE WAY TO MASS
What are some ways that God might be made visible through you?
ON THE WAY HOME FROM MASS
I wonder how the blind man felt when Jesus said that God would be made visible through him.
Adapted from Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families
Living the Word
As a family, read the first story of creation, Genesis 1:1-31. Discuss words that you hear repeated and what they might mean. Discuss the difference between the creation of human beings and every other creation. What does this say about us as humans? What does this say about you individually?
Adapted from Celebrating Sunday for Catholic Families