John 9:1-41

Transformation Tuesdays

Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Hello, I’m Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione Aaron Emig: And I’m Aaron Emig We are now in the Fourth Sunday of Lent The Question and Thought for Lent is…Instead of giving something up for God… How about giving something back to God. This Lent, how will you grow closer to Him? The Gospel comes from: John 9:1-41 Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: The Gospel story today is that of the man born blind. And the lesson we are being taught is that besides our ordinary sight there is another kind of sight, kind of an insight, that of seeing the truth. And the truth that is in Jesus, the truth that is Jesus. It is about light and darkness. The man had lived in darkness all his life but through healing he comes into the light in two ways: literally, since his sight was restored; and spiritually, since he was given the gift of faith. And it is this gift of faith which concerns us most of all. Three times he confesses his ignorance: He doesn’t know how it is that he can now see…. But with each of these confessions of ignorance is followed by a profession of faith. So, he doesn’t understand it all but he believes it all. Aaron Emig: This week’s Gospel is like last week because Jesus preached to a quote “sinners” but got them to become believers… Yes, Jesus served the blind man on the Sabbath… But the Pharisees were so blind because they still followed the old-school laws of Moses… Don’t get me wrong those are great laws… But isn’t more important to serve someone in need no matter what day of the week it is? The Jews didn’t believe until they talked the parents and then confronted the blind man again… And he said, I told you once and you did listen… Then he questioned them…Yes you don’t know where he’s from but he made a blind man see… Who has ever done that before? Only a man of God could do that… The Pharisees got upset and threw him because he spoke the truth to them which upset these so called “wise” people… The Pharisees are straight up Meatheads and stubborn… Then Jesus and the blind man had a conversation and Jesus made this “quote” sinner a believer like the Samaritan woman last week… Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Most of us might readily identify with the man, blind from birth. Living in darkness but looking for the light. But Jesus also warns us that those who say "We see" may really be the ones who are blind to the presence of God in their midst. A good prayer with this Gospel in mind might be: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief" It is only through our genuine belief that our eyes are truly open to God. Aaron Emig: We need to have that blind faith… Many times, when someone talks about something new that is better than what they are currently doing… We tend to get draw back and feel uncomfortable because many are threatened and scared of change... We need to stop acting like the Pharisees and become blind so that we can see… We need open our hearts to change along with our minds… We need to get comfortable by always being uncomfortable… My dad taught me to always try new things and meet new people because it makes life more interesting… So, I’d suggest we try to learn something new or meet a stranger this week… If we do that…that means, we are growing and becoming closer to God…. Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: Wisdom Words for the Week “Seeing isn’t believing…. Believing is seeing.” From the first two of the Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen. Aaron Emig: Transformation Tool Resisting Happiness book by Matthew Kelly During Lent, you can receive daily emails from The Dynamic Catholic Institute that will have a reflection from different chapters of the book… Just go to BestLentEver.com to sign up… We are giving out the Resisting Happiness at Morris Hall each Tuesday of Lent at 2:10 p.m… Again, on while supplies last… Aaron Emig: Transformation Tuesdays Prayer… “Jesus, how do You want me to transform my life today?” Deacon Jimmy Ghiglione: God Bless from Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church…A Spiritual Home for Everyone