Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 15, 206
1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a | Eph 5:8-14 | Jn 9:1-41
I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. — John 8:12
In the midst of so much heartbreaking news these days, how uplifting it is to realize that Christ is the light of the world and that we who follow him will have the light of life.
I pray that in the face of so much darkness in our society, we may have the courage of the blind man in today’s Gospel reading.
The Pharisees are stymied by the blind man whom Jesus cured: “Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.” The man answered, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He replied, “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?” At this, they hurled abuse at him: “You are that man’s disciple,” they said, “we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man replied, “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.”
Overwhelmed by so much human-caused oppression and suffering in our world today, can we speak as boldly to those in authority and be the “light of Christ” shining with love, care and compassion?
As a volunteer at the Arrupe Refugee Center in Kamakura, Japan, I ask God to help me be a ray of God’s love and care for the refugees we serve as they face such an uncertain future. I believe all of us are called to be the “light of Christ,” filled with the joy of knowing the Paschal Mystery is the way to true Life.
I pray that in the face of so much darkness in our society, we may have the courage of the blind man in today’s Gospel.
Maryknoll Sister Kathleen Reiley, who joined the congregation in 1963, has served for most of her mission life in Japan. She first ministered to marginalized populations such as day laborers, abandoned children and alcoholics. In 1989, she began volunteering as a counselor at the National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo, where she helped found a home for families of children with cancer. She now volunteers at the Arrupe Refugee Center in Kamakura.
Not on Everest: An Easter Poem
The greatest adventure in all the world or the universe is when the God who abandons us returns. John of the Cross calls it “dark night” but then he talks about dawn.
No darkness, no dawn. No abandon, no encounter. No death, no resurrection.
Just as Jesus had to go through his dark night, we too have to go through our very own. Like the disciples on their way to Emmaus, there are moments when we feel lost, perhaps moments like this.
But as the mystic says, we find our way only in darkness. So, the great adventure isn’t on Mount Everest or in outer space, but in the space of your hearts.
Like the morning star, there is not much light, but the promise is great. A new day, a new life begins.
Guess we all have our Everest to climb. But in all the beauty and joy of it all, when God breaks through, breaks through the darkness and returns to us, we call it resurrection. Amen.
— Marty Shea, MM † (1930-2025)
From Through the Tears, Insights from Mission about Brother Shea’s decades of service to Guatemalan Indigenous people.
Questions for Reflection
Where do you see darkness (fear, injustice, pain) in the world right now? Where do you see Christ’s light?
The man says, “I only know that I was blind and now I can see.” How has your faith changed the way you see the world?
Prayer for a Nonviolent Heart
Recognizing the violence in our own hearts,
yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God,
we ask you, O Nonviolent One,
to help us carry out in our lives the love and example you gave us:
by striving for peace within ourselves and seeking to be peacemakers in our daily lives;
by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence;
by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
by living conscientiously and simply so we do not deprive others of the means to live;
by actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war
from our own hearts and from the face of the earth.
O God, we trust in your sustaining love
and believe that you will grant us your abundant grace
to help us live this prayer.
Amen.
— Courtesy of Maryknoll Lay Missioners
To read other Scripture reflections published by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, click here.
Featured image: After a Peace Memorial Mass at Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan, Aug. 9, 2025, people carry torches during a peace march to Hypocenter Park in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki. (OSV News photo/Mihoko Owada, Catholic Standard)
