Lent, a time of miraclesOn the fourth Sunday of LentOn Joy Sunday, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus and gave a meditation on the Gospel passage about the man born blind, a prodigy that "is not well received by many people and groups".
Francis began by looking at the disciples, who are looking for a culprit and wondering whether it is the fault of the parents or of the blind man himself. The Pope pointed out that "it is comfortable to look for a culprit, instead of asking more demanding questions, such as, for example: what does the presence of this man mean for us, what does he ask of us?"
After the healing and that first question, come the reactions. Some are skeptical, others consider it illicit to heal on the Sabbath and, finally, there are fearful reactions. "In all these reactions, closed hearts emerge in front of the sign of Jesus, for various reasons: because they look for a culprit, because they do not know how to be surprised, because they do not want to change, because they are blocked by fear".
Joy in simplicity
However, there is one person whose reaction is quite different. As the Pope pointed out, "the only one who reacts well is the blind person: happy to see, he testifies to what has happened to him in the simplest way: 'I was blind and now I see'". The blind man "is not afraid of what others will say: he has already known the bitter taste of marginalization all his life, he has already felt the indifference and contempt of passers-by, of those who considered him a discard of society, useful at most for the pity of some alms".
All this should lead us to ask ourselves "what would we have said then? And, above all, what do we do today? Like the blind man, do we know how to see the good and be grateful for the gifts we receive? Do we witness to Jesus or do we spread criticism and suspicion? Are we free in the face of prejudice or do we associate with those who spread negativity and gossip? Are we happy to say that Jesus loves us and saves us or, like the parents of the man born blind, do we allow ourselves to be caged for fear of what people will think? And also, how do we welcome the difficulties and sufferings of others, as curses or as occasions to become close to them with love?"
In conclusion, the Pope asked for the intercession of the Virgin Mary and of St. José"a just and faithful man".
Lent, a time of miracles
