4A LENT – SUNDAY HOMILY, JOHN 9:1-41, March 15, 2026
By Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
John was born
blind with cataracts. When he was three,
his mother who was very poor got in contact with one of the few doctors who did
eye operations at that time. She asked
him to help her son and promised, if necessary, to pay him a certain amount
from her wages each week for the rest of her life. The doctor performed the operation.
On the day the
bandages were to be removed, John’s mother bought him a little wooden horse and
placed it in front of him. When the
bandages were removed, John reached for the toy and his mother knew that the
operation was a success. A few months
later, the good doctor died. His last
gift to the world, as stipulated in his will, was a full cancellation of all
debts. John kept this little wooden
horse as a reminder of the debt. He owed
this generous doctor who had given him the ability to see.
2. GOSPEL, JOHN
9:1-41
A) JESUS CURES
THE PHYSICALLY BLIND Jesus met a blind man, put clay on his eyes, and told him
to wash them in a nearby pool. The blind
man returned to Jesus and was able to see.
B) JESUS CURES
THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND Jesus gradually helped the cured man to see who he really
was. The blind man first recognized that
Jesus was a prophet, a man with divine power. Then he believed that Jesus was the Son of
Man. Finally, he worshipped Jesus. Jesus cures the spiritually blind.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A) THE
SPIRITUALLY BLIND
Today there are many who are spiritually blind.
i) They do not know that God exists, God
created them, God cares for them, and God forgives them. They do not know Jesus came and saved
us.
ii) Many do not
know what the purpose of life is or how to live a life that will bring peace,
joy, and happiness.
iii) Many do not
know what happens after death. It is the
end or is there something else that follows.
B) JESUS CURES
THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND
i) Jesus teaches
that there is a loving, caring, and forgiving God. Jesus tells us that he has come to save us and
to lead us to eternal happiness.
ii) Jesus teaches
us that the meaning of life is to live according to God’s commandments and to
be of service to others. Jesus teaches
us how we must live by loving God, others, and ourselves.
iii) Jesus tells
us that death is not an end but a beginning of an eternal life of joy, peace
and happiness. Jesus is the light of the
world who brings us from darkness to life. Now we can see.
4.
CONCLUSION
The doctor helped
the boy, Jesus helped the blind man, so does Jesus helps us.
