Chosen in our nothingness; led through the darkness; towards the light of eternity!
THE WORD IN LENT – LAETARE SUNDAY 2026
March 15 – 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13;
Ephesians 5: 8-14; John 9: 1-41
Listening and Fasting: Lent as a time for conversion... we have reached the
fourth Sunday of the season – the Laetare Sunday – Rejoice, is the call! The first two weeks we had reflected
on the term “Listening” and the last week we reflected on the term, “Fasting”,
and now we turn to the term “Conversion”! That is the call with which we began
the lent – repent, convert, come back to the Lord. Beginning today these last
two weeks before the Holy Week, the Word would draw our attention to this
experience – the experience of conversion. We begin with reflecting this Sunday
how conversion is a blessed journey from darkness to light.
We are capable of this journey from darkness to light, because we are
chosen. But let us remember, as the Word reminds us today, we are chosen in our nothingness! The first reading presents us this message with
such simplicity, in the figure of David the shepherd boy who was chosen to be
the King of Israel, a choice that looked weird and dumb to many, including Samuel
the prophet who was an instrument in that choice. It was a strange choice, because
it was a choice of nothing, it was a choice that seemed so bleak as a future…but
we know it did work, because it was God’s choice.
We are chosen, that does not say that we merit to be chosen; it is not
because we have what it takes to make that choice go right, but merely because God’s
love has chosen us. It is indeed a reason to rejoice. It is not a rejoicing in
despite of others, but a rejoicing in recognition of our nothingness, which is
so precious in the eyes of the Lord…Rejoice o Jerusalem, rejoice my people,
rejoice my sons and daughters, the Lord invites. You were darkness once, but
now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light – the reminder from
Paul is a stark reminder of the fact that we have just reflected on.
The Lord does not just choose us and leave us to our sorts… the Lord leads
us on. Like the shepherd leads the sheep, so does the Lord lead us on – this is
brought out by two symbols that stand out in the Word today: David the shepherd
boy who was chosen to shepherd the people of God, and the experience of the Lord
as my shepherd. This shepherd leads us on, not merely in times of sunshine and
glory, but in specially in times of obscurity and darkness. More specifically, the
Divine Shepherd leads us through the
darkness! None of us can
escape the darkness that surrounds us; the presence of God does not guarantee
us that there won’t be darkness, but that when there is darkness, we would not
be alone; we would not need to fear or panic. Because the Lord leads us right
through that darkness, the valley of death, the depths of darkness.
We have enough and more of this experience of darkness in daily life – the problems
and challenges we face, the misgivings at home and the lack of understanding,
the crises at work and tussles with persons, the temptations that assail us and
the troubles we have to face, the evil that threatens us and sometimes takes over
our own minds and choices… all these darknesses exist close around us. But the
message is – do not fear, Christ will shine on us… we shall rise and shine with
the Lord. Jesus us telling is today, do not worry – go and wash in the mercy of
God… there is the great sacrament of Penance waiting for us, just for our
taking. Go, wash and be light, invites the Lord, and leads us right through
the darkness that wants to bind us.
Howsoever the darkness tries, it cannot overpower us, unless we allow it to.
The reason is, we have the Shepherd by our side who leads us towards the light, the light of eternity! Jesus today approaches us and says the darkness
that seems to be around us, is no object of fear – it will be turned into an instrument
to give glory to God, when the Lord leads us to light. When we walk out of that
darkness and become the light that the Lord wants us to, the world will not
recognise us – just as the people who had seen that blind man in the Gospel could
no longer recognise him. He was healed, he changed, and he soon came to see,
not just see but see the Lord and believe in the Lord. While the Jews… they
remained blind, blind to the Lord who was right there amidst them working wonders;
they chose to remain blind, they chose not to walk towards the light.
Once again let us turn to that man who received sight, who became light –
it meant that he had to testify for the Lord, stand up and proclaim the Good
News that he had received. He brought problems to himself, but he had already
moved from darkness to light; nothing could blind him anymore. That is our call
too; and that is the conversion we are called to… to walk from darkness to light,
the light of eternity. From doubts and despair, from discouragements and disgruntles,
from obstinacy and obscurity, we are called to walk into the light. When we do
that, we shall experience the One who declares, “as long as I am in the world, I
am the light of the world” and invites us to become the light of the world.
It is good to ask ourselves today, if we would dare to say as that man in
the Gospel – I know I was blind, and now I can see… Lord, I believe!