Fourth Sunday of Lent Homily - Second Scrutiny

Today, we welcome our Elect of the parish’s RCIA at this Mass and for their second scrutiny. Together with the 17 children and youth, our 8 adults present today are now in their final stage of preparation to receive the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil on March 30th.

The scrutinies solemnly celebrated on Sundays and reinforced by an exorcism are rites of self-searching and repentance and have, above all, a spiritual purpose. The basic premise of what they are doing and what we, too, can reflect upon is that these rites help them recognize that:

•  Sin and evil are real; their power is strong and only recognized in the light of grace.

•  Salvation is real; Jesus Christ’s power to save, protect, and strengthen is stronger than sin itself.

The reason for the importance of these rites in our liturgy today is to:

•  Inspire them to desire purification and redemption by Jesus Christ, instructing them gradually about the mystery of sin.

•  Help each of them experience the meaning of being delivered and saved from sin’s present and future consequences so that at the Easter Vigil, they will be filled with Christ the Redeemer – who is the living water, the light for the world, and the resurrection and the life.

As we approach the halfway point of our Lenten journey, we see that the liturgical color of purple has been replaced by the color of rose. Today, the fourth Sunday of Lent is also called Laetare Sunday, Latin for Rejoicing, a day when we are called to be joyful because Easter Sunday draws near.

The readings for today’s Mass all have special meaning for the rites for today’s second scrutiny. In the first reading, we hear God’s choosing and anointing of King David. I am reminded of the anointing of Chrism that we receive at our baptism. You yourselves will be anointed too and will hear Fr. Tim pray at the Easter Vigil, “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.”

In our second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (5: 8-14), St. Paul reminded the early Church and us as well that we who once lived in darkness (darkness of sin) are called to LIGHT (Life in God’s Holiness and Truth). The second reading reminds us of the fact that many times in our lives, our ego and self-reliance blind us from seeing how our pride is the root of many of our troubles and the cause of our sins. In fact, when we consider the deadly sin of pride, as Pope Francis recently referred to as the queen of all vices and the root of envy, greed, wrathful anger, lust, sloth, and gluttony. And if we are unrepentant of these sins, it leads us to perish.

In the Gospel story of Jesus healing the man born blind (John 9: 1-41), we see (no pun intended) the blindness of the Pharisees who claim that they see rather clearly and that Jesus’ act of compassion is from the devil. Rather than celebrating the man’s sight being restored, they discredit Jesus, mock him and the man’s family, and, in the end, expel the man from the temple. The words of Jesus to the religious leaders are haunting: If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains. Their self-righteousness blinded them to their pride. But for the man born blind, he recognizes Jesus, proclaims his belief, and worships him – the Light of the World.

In a few moments, we will join the elect in prayer, asking for God’s mercy in restoring their sight to the reality of sin and leading them from darkness to LIGHT (Life in God’s Holiness and Truth). Together, we pray too for God to lead us all from the consequences of deadly sins rooted in pride. We pray that our eyes and hearts be opened to the need to change, repent, and believe in Jesus’ redeeming power and strength to lead us from all that the devil sows - division and hatred for God and one another.

We pray for a willingness to reach out in these final weeks of Lent to serve others, the homeless, the poor, and members of our families who are in need, and champion a culture that respects the dignity of every person, especially the unborn and those who are considered inconvenient. But most especially, we pray that when our Lenten journey has come to an end, we will have new eyes to see the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection and cherish the gift of our baptism, renewing it with our promise to renounce sin and believe in God.

Like David, and in today’s responsorial psalm (Psalm 23), may we sing with joy, “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.” So, let us rejoice today, knowing that we are all very close to the day of salvation when we will recall the great love that our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ did for you and me when he died and rose from the dead to set us free from sin and lead us from darkness to LIGHT (Life in God’s Holiness and Truth).

Dcn. Ronnie San Nicolas