Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..
Fourth Sunday of Lent, 26 March 2017
"I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.”
Why can’t one rejoice that a blind man is healed and can see ? Why does something that is so simple become so complicated?
Going to school my leg really hurts , but coming home nothing hurts -uttered the great truth, with sparkling eyes ,by one of our young children from our home in Déva ! Even the oldest teenagers are capable without complaints to learn in a relatively short period of time , long passages by heart and easily perform a play , but at school when they have to learn one or two paragraphs of a poem or trying to master a few formulas they freeze and often everything will become so forced , distorted! Why is this like this? The child is curious , it is good to learn, good to teach but if it is this simple then why is it so complicated, why do the children play truant , and why do they feel often that they and the teachers are not playing in the same team ?
Perhaps we teachers, carers should try to bring more playfulness, fun into the classrooms and you children, it would be good if you could try to “ perform" , just like in a play, the great observant, curious students ! The good habits are called virtues, the conscious practice , acquisition of these is very important ! Lets try to be good, pay attention, I feel that after a few tries it will work perfectly ! The consciously undertaken, practiced good habits, the nice virtues slowly will become part of our personalities and this character building , is a conscious, deliberate building up of ourselves !
A new week, new opportunity , lets approach the studying, teaching the discovery of our world’s interesting, wonderful secrets, adjusting ourselves , the teaching with a zeal! I believe that if we put a serious effort into it, the walls of darkness separating us will tumble and we can find ourselves in such a marvelous land that is good to explore ,where it is a joy to be alive !
With trust,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Photo: Students from our home in Csíkszentsimon, named after Saint László, performing the play..The Life of Saint László.
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered,
"Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
"Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?"
Some said, "It is, "
but others said, "No, he just looks like him."
He said, "I am."
So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"
He replied,
"The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.'
So I went there and washed and was able to see."
And they said to him, "Where is he?"
He said, "I don't know."
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
"He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see."
So some of the Pharisees said,
"This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath."
But others said,
"How can a sinful man do such signs?"
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
"What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?"
He said, "He is a prophet."
Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
"Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?"
His parents answered and said,
"We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself."
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews,
for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
"He is of age; question him."
So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, "Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner."
He replied,
"If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see."
So they said to him,
"What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?"
He answered them,
"I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?"
They ridiculed him and said,
"You are that man's disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from."
The man answered and said to them,
"This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything."
They answered and said to him,
"You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?"
Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
He answered and said,
"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
Jesus said to him,
"You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he."
He said,
"I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
"I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?"
Jesus said to them,
"If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.
John 9, 1-41
