* 4 Lent (A) March 2, 2008
* Theme: See in the Light of Christ

* Introduction:
* 4th Sunday of our Lenten Retreat,
* Our Journey to Jerusalem with Jesus,
* As he faces his cross and his ultimate victory over sin and death
* Today’s Gospel is taken from the 9th Chapter of John
* The tension is starting to mount between Jesus and the leaders of the Synagogue.
* Jesus cures a blind man on the Sabbath,
* The well educated Pharisees say that Jesus cannot be of God because he does not follow the letter of the Law.
* The illiterate Blind Man, on the other hand, recognizes Jesus as a Prophet.

* All three readings challenge us to see beyond external appearances to see the works of God.

* In the First Reading the Prophet Samuel has been told by God that he will find the next King of the Chosen People among the Sons of Jesse
* He thinks has found his man when he encounters Eliab - tall, well-built, regal in appearance,
* But no!
* God has chosen a boy, so insignificant that Jesse does not even call him in to be interviewed for the job.
* God judges by reading the hearts of people, not by external appearances.
* David grew to become the model King of Israel

* In the Second reading, Paul writes to the Ephesians:
* “Live as Children of the Light”
* “Christ will give you light”
* Do we see by the light of Christ?

* However, it is probably the Gospel story that most hits home today:
* The blind man has been blind from birth,
* He has never seen
* He is in total need
* The Apostles, like the Pharisees, think that this man suffers because of some sin of his own or of his parents.
* Obviously not, says Jesus
* The once Blind Man gets his sight and is thoroughly changed in the process
* Not even his neighbors recognize him because he has changed so much.
* He is a new person.
* He even challenges the authorities whom everyone feared
* He comes to realize that God has touched his life
* While the blind come to see,
* The religious leaders prove to be blind to the presence of God working in their midst.
* They were blind to the light of Christ that was shining in their world.
* St. John in writing this Gospel story is not telling us that one man was born blind and Jesus cured him;
* But that we humans have our blind spots, and we all need healing.

* Jimmy Picco of Christ the King Parish in San Diego
* Died in August of 1997 at 70 some years of age
* He spent most of his adult life as a parishioner of CTK
* Earlier he had been the church organist
* Later in life he became a lector.
* He always read the 2nd reading at the Saturday evening Mass
* Jimmy most impressed me because he knew everyone in the church and everyone knew him.
* Whenever people would register in the parish, we would always give the names to Jimmy, and he would call them to welcome them to the community.
* If someone was ill, Jimmy would call them to wish them well.
* If someone in the parish passed away, often people would inform Jimmy before they informed the priests.
* Jimmy would make sure the word got out.
* Christ the King is a very diverse parish: African-American, Anglo, and Mexican:
* Jimmy learned enough Spanish to communicate good will.
* He contacted everyone
* Jimmy’s funeral was a tribute to him - the church was full:
* People of every race were there
* Three former pastors and I concelebrated
* Women and Men
* Young and Old
* We were all there to pay tribute to this man who saw so clearly the goodness in people.
* Jimmy was special, you see, Jimmy was Blind from Birth
* He leaned to play the organ by listening to music
* He read the Scripture at Mass, using Braille
* Although Jimmy in all his life never saw the faces of people, he read the hearts of everyone:
* No matter the race
* No matter the color of skin
* No matter the language
* Jimmy Picco was Blind, but Jimmy Picco saw people more clearly than any of us, because he saw them in the light of Christ.

* Through baptism we are all invited to see people and the world in the light of Christ,
* Sometimes we fall short
* As we continue with our Lenten Liturgy today,
* And as we prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation tomorrow night at 7:00 PM
* Let us reflect on those times we have been blind to the workings of God in our lives,
* Let us give thanks for people like Jimmy Picco who let the light of Christ shine through them.

* Amen

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