Not What We Were

A reflection for the 4^th Sunday in Lent, Year A. The readings are 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14 and John 9:1-41.

It’s hard to listen to today’s Gospel and not think of the song, Amazing Grace…

…how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I’m found;
was blind but now I see.

But there’s so much to today’s Gospel – it is so rich! We could focus on the fact that this is Jesus’ sixth Sign (that’s what John calls Jesus’ miracles) in the Gospel of John – next week we’ll hear about the seventh: the raising of Lazarus. We could talk about how this Sign also comes with one of the seven “I Am” statements from Jesus: “I am the light of the world”. Next week we’ll hear him say, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  We could speak about the baptismal character of the story: the man washes in the waters of the Pool of Siloam and is healed – that’s like baptism. Or we could speak about the Sacramental aspect: Jesus makes mud and puts it on the man’s eyes. That’s physical matter being used: a physical sign of an invisible Grace… There’s so much.

But I really just want to focus on one aspect; that one line: “one thing I know, that I was blind and now I see.”

That’s what happens when we encounter Jesus. It changes us.

A few years ago, when The Chosen series was just coming out, we were doing some promotional work for it and we received a box of swag from the publicist. There was a toque and some buttons and stickers and stuff. There was also a hoodie. On the back it says “The Chosen”. But on the front, it says, “Not what we were.” That’s what the series is about. It’s about the people (the chosen) who meet Jesus. They have an encounter with Jesus and it changes them. They are no longer what they were. That’s what happens to the Samaritan woman at the well, who we heard about last weekend: She meets Jesus and it changes her. She is no longer what she was: David was a poor shepherd and now he is the anointed of God; soon to be the king of Israel. I was blind but now I see. I was lost and now I’m found. I was a wretch and now I am not. Once we were in darkness and now, we walk in the light of Christ.

We meet Christ and we are no longer what we were.

We meet Christ and our eyes are opened. I don’t know what it’s like to be blind – what it’s like to be born blind. Think of it. He had never seen an apple. He knew an apple was red, but he had never seen a colour. He didn’t know the difference between blue and red. He had never seen a horse or a cow. He had never seen a sunset or the wind blowing through the leaves. He had never seen his mother’s face… That’s how dramatic a change it is when we have an encounter with Christ.

And yet.. some of  us have had encounters with Christ – we have met Christ – and it hasn’t changed us much.

The first question for us today is: Are you still what you were before? Did meeting Christ change you?

The second question for us today is: Do you want to change? Do you want more? Or are you quite happy where you are – like the pharisees who refuse to see what is right in front of them? Are you happy thinking that you’ve arrived; that you know it all and not able to change? The friends and neighbours of the blind man seem indifferent to the whole thing. He’s parents don’t want to get involved; they are afraid. The pharisees refuse to believe. None of them change except for the blind man. Are you still in darkness or are you walking in the light of Jesus, who is the Light of world?

But this change doesn’t always happen immediately. In fact, it probably never happens immediately. It takes time. For the blind man it takes time. At first, he doesn’t even know who Jesus is. First, he just calls him “a man”. Then when the pharisees question him, he calls him “a prophet” and then “he must be from God”. Finally, when he meets Jesus again, he calls him “Lord.” And then he worships him. So the change from unbelief to belief is gradual.

For most of us, the change starts at Baptism. We meet Christ and our journey from darkness to Light begins.

You may remember that on the first Sunday of Advent we spoke about living with “eyes open”. That’s what this is all about. We receive the Light of Christ and our eyes are opened and we see Him; we recognize Him. And we also see everything as it really is.  But once we are in the Light and our eyes are opened, not only do we recognize Christ, but we see others as they really are.

Remember that prayer I suggested: Ask God for Light that you may see and love everything and everyone as they are.

 Jesus is calling you to move from darkness into light – every day.  He is calling you to move from doubt to faith, from despair to hope, from fear to love. Every day. We are called to choose light, every day. Every day, to leave little darkness behind and move more and more into the light. Every day to move a little close to Easter.

Every day, we should be able to say, “not what I was yesterday”. Because every day our eyes will be opened more and more and we will come to recognize Jesus as Lord and we will worship Him. And then we will follow Him and serve Him in our brothers and sisters.

Then we can truly say, “not what we were” and we will truly be able to sing: “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now, I’m found; was blind but now I see.”