His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Diocese of Belleville
Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 15, 2026, 10:00 AM Mass
St.Luke Parish
We Who See Can Still Be Blind
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
The hymn, “Faith’s Review and Expectation,” world famous by another name, was written by a man whose life, like last week’s Samaritan woman at the well, was changed completely by Jesus Christ. The author, born in London in 1725, became the captain of a slave ship and was engaged in human slavery. During a storm, the captain underwent a spiritual conversion which led him to become a devout Christian. Yet he continued his involvement in the transporting of enslaved, free human beings. Like us, he could not see clearly what it means to follow Christ. At 31, he suffered a stroke and eventually became an Anglican priest.
Years later, at 64, he began to campaign publicly against slavery. He said, “My conversion to Christianity was gradual. It took me a long time to see that slavery was an absolute evil.” Then he wrote the hymn “Faith’s Review and Expectation.” His name is John Newton, and the hymn is now known by its opening line, “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound.” Shortly before Reverend Newton’s death, he said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: I committed the great sin of human slavery and that Jesus Christ is my great Savior!” The pivotal line in his hymn is from this morning reading from the gospel of John, “I once was blind, but now I see” (c 9, v 25).
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The story in John, c 9, v 1-41, is about a nameless man, blind from birth, whose life is changed forever after a brief encounter with Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus sees the blind beggar walking down a street in Jerusalem. Jesus’ disciples assume that he or his parents must have done something wrong for God to give him the harsh punishment of blindness. When Jessus says, “Neither he nor his parents sinned,” they are startled, since a prevailing Jewish view was that human suffering was a punishment for sin. Jesus tells them the man’s blindness will make it possible for them to see the works of God.
Then Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with his saliva, smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam.” He went and washed and returned able to see. Surprisingly, the man never asked for Jesus’ help. Do not confuse this story with the story of Bartimaeus in Mark and Mathew, a blind man whom Jesus specifically asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, that I may see?” Without any ritual with spit and dirt, Jesus says, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” This has led some scholars to suggest today’s gospel is the same story which John has changed dramatically into a complex story of faith.
Whatever the case may be, it is clear Mark, Matthew, and John are talking about much more than physical sight. In this story, the healing of this man’s physical sight is told in just two verses of a 41-verse story. Helping the man, blind from birth, to see physically, sets the stage for challenging each of us to ask ourselves who among us is really blind and who among us really can see, who among us is open to recognizing who Jesus is and who is not. After the man can physically see, his neighbors argue about whether he is the same blind beggar that they see on the street all the time. Some say, “It can’t be.” Others say, “It is.” He says, “It’s me alright!” They refuse to believe him. He tells them that Jesus opened his eyes. But he has no idea where He is.
Then the Pharisees asked him how he was able to see. He told them what Jesus did. Some Pharisees condemned Jesus for doing such a thing on the sabbath. Others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” They asked the man, “What do you have to say about Him?” “He said, “He is a prophet. If He were not from God, how could He perform such signs?” (Notice, John speaks only of signs, never of miracles.) The Pharisees insist that Jesus is a sinner. “I do not know whether He is a sinner or not. This I know, I once was blind but now I see.” “They retorted, “You were born totally in sin, (they say this because they think his blindness was caused by sin) and are you trying to teach us?” The Pharisees expel him from the synagogue.
The Pharisees summoned the seeing man’s parents and asked, “Is this your son, who you say was blind from birth? How does he now see? “His parents said, “We know that this is our son and that he was blind from birth. We do not know who opened his eyes. He is of age, ask him. He can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid the Jewish leaders would also expel them from the synagogue for acknowledging Jesus as The Christ.
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Though he can see, the gospel never says he can see the blue sky, the green grass or the colorful people around him. John is only interested in what the seeing blind man is beginning to see with eyes of faith. Jesus finds him and asks. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Confused, the seeing blind man asks, “Who is He, sir that I may believe in Him?” Jesus answers, “You have seen Him, the one speaking with you is He.” Now he really can see and proclaims, “Lord, I believe.” And he worships Jesus. The Pharisees ask Jesus, “Surely we are not also blind?” Jesus tells them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.” (The gospel of John is clearly using the phrases “to see” and “to be blind” in a unique spiritual, theological, and paradoxical sense. The Pharisees assume that the man blind from birth could not see because his parents had sinned, but this is not the case. They also assumed “they can see” because they have not sinned, but this is not the case. However, in spite of their physical sight they are blind. Not only can they not see their sin of pride, their arrogance, and their judgmental attitude, but they also cannot see that Jesus is the longed-for Messiah and Lord. Because John’s theology is centered on Jesus as the “Light of the World,” he regularly contrasts light with darkness and blindness with sight.)
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Some people when they see a person who is blind, or using a wheelchair, or whose hair is gone because of chemotherapy for cancer, may say to themselves, “There, but for the grace of God go I!” Can this be true? Is the person suffering from a terrible illness deprived of God’s grace? Are people who have good health, happy families, and wealth somehow more blessed by God than those who endure excruciating suffering? How can this be? Does not this gospel story completely contradict this idea? Is God’s grace God given to all of us? Could those who suffer receive abundant grace?
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
John Newton’s hymn’s opening words are. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me! Some churches change the phrase “that saved a wretch like me” to “that saved a soul like mine” arguing that the word “wretch” is TOO negative, TOO harsh a description for the average Christian. After all, most of us are not guilty of such a grave sin as human slavery. There is no need for us to plead for God’s mercy calling ourselves “wretches.” But is that really true? Isn’t the whole point of this gospel, the whole point of Lent a call for each of us to face our spiritual blindness and call upon the Holy Spirit to help us see our sinfulness and the ways in which we need to grow in our relationship with Christ?
During these final weeks of Lent should we not be examining our individual spiritual journeys and face how Newton’s words, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see” apply to us? Easter Sunday is three weeks away. Are there specific things you can do during these last days before Holy Week that will give you greater spiritual sight, and make real progress in the life of Christian discipleship? We Who See Can Still Be Blind.
Now You See: Go to Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Christ every day for the Remainder of Lent.
Now You See: Do a review of life and examination of conscience and arrange to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and confess your sins.
Now You See: Forgive that person who has deeply offended you.
Now You See: Pray morning and night prayers and pray before each meal.
Now You See: Invite a catholic relative who does not ordinarily go to Mass to join you at Mass for the remaining Sundays of Lent.
Now You See: Make time to inform yourself about the terrible wars and conflicts that are causing so much suffering and death in our world in opposition to the teachings of Christ. (Pray for those on all sides of these conflicts that they may recover from their blindness and see the value and dignity of every human life.)
Now You See: We all know we did not go out into the wilderness with Jesus on Ash Wednesday just to enjoy weekly Friday Fish Frys!
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“Through many dangers, toils and snares we have already come:
‘Twas grace has brought us safe thus far,
and grace will lead us home!”
Praised be Jesus Christ. Both now and forever. AMEN!