March 15, 2026・4th Sunday of Lent (A)

1 Samuel 16.1b,6-7,10-13a・Ps 23.2+3, 5, 6・Eph. 5.8-14・Jn 9.1-41

Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent. In today`s Mass, we offer the second of the three special prayer rites for Adult Christian Initiation. We continue to pray that they may find both the best time and conducive atmosphere to deepen their relationship with God as they start to embrace Christian living.

Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called “Laetare Sunday” (Sunday of Rejoice – 喜びの主日). We rejoice because the abundance of God`s love who look at our hearts turns our sorrow and suffering to joy and peace.

In our first reading, there seems to be a confirmation of our present human experience specifically on how we accept people in our lives. We often see/look at others, and judge, based on outer/physical appearances, and maybe on life`s status, land of origin and maybe skin color. We often create standards on how we recognize others on a very materialistic basis, and maybe somehow on how we gain from them.

The Lord reminds Samuel that unlike human being, the Lord looks into the heart. We are called to express ourselves from the bottom of our heart and look at the heart of others. We will all become friends, and brothers and sisters not on material basis. At this early stage of our prayerful reflection, we are invited to heal our blindness so that in God`s healing power, we will be able to discard pride and indifference towards others who seem not meeting our standards that hardly go beyond physical basis.

In our Gospel reading today, we can see a similar intention of Jesus in talking with the Samaritan woman in our Gospel last Sunday. This time, it is in the context of healing a man born blind. A man recovering his sight came to a greater understanding of who Jesus is, and eventually believed in Him as Christ. Since we are within the 40-day Lenten recollection/reflection, we will understand that conversion of heart and a motivation to share with others is/are basically the result/s of firmly believing in Jesus (for both the man regaining sight and the Samaritan women in the well).  

Jesus, in our gospel today, confronts people and some Pharisees after healing the man who was born blind. Again, it was the best time for Jesus to speak about the blindness specifically of the Pharisees. The Pharisees may not have immediately understood what kind of blindness Jesus was talking about. And perhaps, we too have something to reflect upon different from of blindness in modern times.

Our second reading emphasizes more on the Light of Christ that shines from our Baptism in Him. That is why we also call this Sunday as Sunday of Joy (喜びの日曜日)。The invitation to live as children of Light is echoing against our tendencies to live in sin. Light brings clarity, transparency, peace and joy.