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4th Sunday of Lent Year A - 26/3/2017 - Gospel: Jn 9:1-41
Conditions applied
Physical blindness: Our vision is conditional by different factors such as age and hereditary and light and environments. They are external conditions that affect our vision of the physical world. Today's Gospel reading told us people who had met the blind man were confused and disagreed when they said:

Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg? Some said, yes, it is the same one; others said no, he only looks like him.v.9

Conscience blindness: Internal conditions are deep embedded in our mind and that dictate our mind and heart. The Pharisee had shown that their judgment was affected by their customs when they said

This man can't be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath v.16

Social environments may put pressure on people to act unjustly against their conscience direction. It is obvious for the blind man's parent. They denied knowing what happened to their own son for fear of being persecuted by the authority.

We know he is our son and we know he was born blind but we don't know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.v.21

Faith blindness: Faith blindness happens when we tend to believe in something else rather than the teaching of Jesus. Idolatry worship is a form of faith blindness. Lacking of learning and deepening about Jesus' teachings creates a smokescreen and blurs our vision about God's love in our lives. Not regular receiving the sacraments will weaken our faith and lead to a state of indifference of the faith.

Spiritual blindness requires us be freed from both external and internal conditions. It is not our mind or eyes that dictate our actions but a loving heart. When our hearts are guided by God's love we will see God's love vividly hidden in the physical world. 

The first reading tells us that human nature has a tendency to judge others from their appearances, from the very first impression. We are in favour of what pleases our eyes but that is not the way of the Lord. The Lord sees deep in our heart and the goodness that comes from the heart that counts, not from lips. Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel in front of all his brothers because deep in his heart he believed God who had chosen David. We need to see others with love deep rooted in our hearts, not for their appearances- Sam.16

We become the children of Light when we do the will of God, not ours; when we listen and act out the words of God in our lives we become the messengers of God's love. Seeing the light of faith is to see God who is the mind and heart of the cosmos and we come from God, made after God's own image and likeness and when our earthly journey ends we return to God, our Creator.

The act of sinning may cause a person to get diseases but sin in itself is not the cause of sickness or blindness but illnesses are parts of living. Animals and plants get sick and age. Believing in God will be judged by the world and endure harsh treatment because darkness of this world and the Light don't share the same values.

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