Dear Preachers:

Prenote: May I suggest a Lenten work for you?  Each week I list below the names of three inmates on a death row in Raleigh. Would you consider sending one a postcard or note?  You might tell them you are praying for them this Lent. You may include your name and return addresses, but you need not. Jesus was a death row inmate, and we are approaching the gospels’ narratives of his execution.

As a parish community, let us listen carefully to what Paul tells us in Ephesians. He gives us a striking reminder: “Brothers and sisters, you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Notice that Paul does not say we were merely in darkness; he says we were darkness. That was our identity. But through baptism, Christ has changed who we are  – at our very core.

He speaks to our parish today, reminding us who we truly are. Lent is not about becoming something new through sheer effort. The voice of Lent calls us to remember the truth of whom we already are in Christ. We fast, pray, and give alms not as a self-improvement project, but as a way of clearing our vision –  removing whatever dims the light within us.

So, Paul urges us: “Live as children of light.” Light warns and light reveals. Through our Lenten disciplines, we hope the light of Christ will expose what is hidden  –  or what we have preferred not to see: resentments, selfish habit, indifference to the poor, compromises with honesty, and other quiet shadows in our lives.

When Christ’s light shines and reveals what we would rather avoid, it can feel uncomfortable. Yet even that discomfort is grace. Light becomes a healing gift; it exposes us in order to heal us.

The passage ends with what may have been an early Christian hymns:

“Awake, O sleepers, and rise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.”

This beautifully describes what Lent can be for us: an awakening. We may pass through life half-asleep –  distracted, spiritually drowsy. This holy season gently shakes us and says, “Wake up. Remember who you are. You live in the light.”

Does our parish radiate the light of Christ to the surrounding world? Are we being called to shine more clearly by addressing issues we have overlooked? Where is the darkness among us, and who is affected by it? How might we shine a steady light of compassion, justice, and forgiveness? By Easter, we hope we can say that the light of Christ has grown stronger in our community — a light that helps us see our needy world more clearly and shows us how we must act.

There is a strong link between the reading from Ephesians and today’s Gospel from John. In Ephesians we hear, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Paul is not merely teaching ethical behavior; he is reminding believers of their new identity. In baptism, we passed from darkness into light. Our task now is to live outwardly what we already are inwardly.

This transformation is dramatized in the Gospel story of the man born blind. Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world,” and then gives sight to a man who has never seen. The story begins simply: “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.” The physical healing, however, is only the beginning. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that this is not just a story about restored eyesight.

The man’s spiritual vision develops in stages. First, he calls Jesus “the man.” Later, “a prophet.” Finally, he confesses, “I do believe, Lord,” and worships him. Meanwhile, the irony deepens: those who claim to see  – the religious authorities  – grow increasingly blind. They cling stubbornly to their certainty and refuse the very light standing before them.

In the midst of Lent, Scripture invites us to examine our own sight. Is it possible to be religious and still miss what God is doing in our lives and in our parish? We may know the language and doctrines of faith yet resist the transforming light God offers us this Lent. Inspired by today’s readings, we might ask: Where am I still blind? What truths about God, myself, or others do, but I avoid? Do I truly want to see?

The man born blind comes to faith in a simple way. He goes, washes, and gradually speaks the truth he is experiencing. He is a model for us. Change comes gradually. Insight unfolds step by step. We do not move from darkness to light instantly, but we do move toward it.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally called “Laetare Sunday” — from the Latin Laetare, meaning “Rejoice.” Even in the midst of fasting and penance, there is joy. The light is already shining. Christ does not shame or accuse the blind man; he seeks him out, even after others cast him aside. Christ’s light is not a harsh interrogation. It is healing illumination.

Our parish community is called not only to walk in the light ourselves, but also to be light for those who are excluded, judged, or left in the shadows. When members of the Christian community reflect the patience and mercy of Christ, people begin to see that Lent is about stepping into the light — trusting that the One who opened blind eyes is still at work among us.

The Scriptures are clear: we are called to be light not in the abstract, but for real people in real darkness:

·        Those grieving or lonely

·        Those burdened by shame or failure

·        Those struggling economically

·        Those excluded or judged

·        Those who feel invisible

We may not have all the answers, but we can bring Christ’s light into the darkness. Light may be a kind word, a steady friendship, a courageous stand for what is right, a parish that welcomes rather than filters.

While many stumble in the shadows, even a small flame can make a difference. Christ does not ask us to create the light. He asks only that we let his light shine through us.

Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031526.cfm

QUOTABLE

“The only reason for Jesus to mix clay with the spittle and smear it on the eyes of the blind man was to remind you that he who restored the man to health by anointing his eyes with clay is the very one who fashioned the first man  out of clay, and that this clay that is our flesh can receive the eternal life through the sacrament of baptism.

You, too, should come to Siloam, that is, to him who was sent by the Father.  Come and be baptized, it is time; come quickly, and you too will be able to say, ‘I was blind, and not I see.’” 

—Ambrose of Milan, (fourth century), quoted in A LENT SOURCE BOOK: THE FORTY DAYS,  BOOK TWO (Chicago:  Liturgy Training Publications), page 66.                                          

JUSTICE BULLETIN BOARD

Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.

—1 Samuel 16:7

Don’t judge a book by its cover. First stated by author George Elliot in 1860, the pithy statement reinforces the scripture passage. I used to hear this little bit of wisdom a lot when I was in elementary school, and I really tried to get to know other students beyond their appearance. It got harder in middle and high school as I became more aware of how many friendships seemed to be formed by how one was dressed.  As a young teen, I remember desperately wanting an oxford blue button-down shirt. Society praises those who have wealth and good looks, while commercials on television give us the impression that possessions form our identity.

Saint John Paul II offers a directive: It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed toward ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’ and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself. (Centesimos Annus, 36). God sees our being and looks into the heart of our matter. It is in the heart where one meets God and the place where God works to cause change and new life in us. How does your spiritual journey change when you think about God only seeing the actions of your heart?

Here are some exercises for your heart that you can do this Lent:

1.Attend a Mass that you would not normally join.    

2.Offer to help make meals for the homeless by cooking for the Helen Wright Shelter for Women, Women’s Center, or Oak City Cares Meals ministries.

3.Become part of the Refugee Resettlement Committee in helping a legal refugee family                                                                              

4.Decide to accompany an impoverished mom through Walking with Moms in Need.                                                                                       

5.Accompany incarcerated men or women in prayer.                           

6.Become more aware of the global Church by helping start a Fair Trade program or help build wells in Uganda through Share the Blessings.                                        

7.Fall in love with our common home, the earth, and learn how abuse of her affects the poor the most.

Stop by our Works of Mercy tables in the narthex after Mass. God will know you by your loving heart.

P.S. George Eliot’s real name was Mary Ann Evans—don’t judge a book by its cover!

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director

Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries                                         

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh

FAITH BOOK

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Ephesians’ reading:

Brothers and sisters: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.”

Reflection:

Paul reminds us that Christ does not merely improve our lives; he transforms our very identity. We were not simply “in” darkness.  We were darkness itself, shaped by sin and fear.

Now, in the Lord, we are light, called to reveal God’s goodness in the world.

To live as children of light means letting our daily choices shine with truth, justice, and mercy.

So, we ask ourselves:

·        Where in my life do I still act as though I belong to darkness rather than to Christ’s light?

·        How do my words and actions reveal (or obscure) God’s goodness and truth?

·        What concrete step can I take this week to live more clearly as a child of light?

POSTCARDS TO DEATH-ROW INMATES

“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.”

---Pope Francis

Inmates on a death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families? ; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.  

Please write to: 

Martin Richardson          #0343075        (On death row since 11/22/93)

Randy Atkins                  #0012311        (12/8/1993)

Frank Chambers            #0071799        (3/10/1994)

Central Prison   P.O. 247 Phoenix MD 21131

(While the prison is in Raleigh mail for inmates is processed at this address)

For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org

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