Sunday March 19, 2023

“Conversion takes place in the fire of our sufferings as we recognize the love and concern that God has for us.”

Good News Reflection for:

Fourth Sunday of Lent
March 19, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

Lord, give me courage and confidence to follow You and let You work in me despite the challenges and persecutions of those who do not yet know You. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
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Today’s Readings:

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a
Psalm 23:1-6
Ephesians 5:8-14
John 9:1-41
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031923.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-march-19-2023

How conversion happens

Conversion to Christ is a process. The blind man in the Gospel reading exemplifies this journey into faith. Notice that at first he did not go to Jesus. Jesus came to him. The man responded by waiting to see what would happen and then by obeying Jesus.

Conversion begins when Jesus seeks us out and we make ourselves available to his touch. He then opens our eyes to the truth, but we don’t immediately understand.

When the man’s neighbors asked about his cure, he did not yet understand who Jesus was; he thought of him as just a man.

Then, the pressure of listening to the Pharisees argue about who Jesus was caused him to give it more thought. He concluded that Jesus must be a prophet, which for the Jews was a highly esteemed, holy vocation.

Next, as the Pharisees treated him more roughly and raised the possibility of expelling him from the synagogue if he claimed that Jesus was the Christ, he began to wonder whether it might be true. Their reasons for hating Jesus became the eye-openers that cured his spiritual blindness.

Finally, Jesus sought him out again, this time to minister to him in response to the mistreatment he had suffered from the Pharisees. In this act of caring, the man could see who Jesus really was.

Conversion — the purification of our spiritual vision — takes place in the fire of our sufferings as we recognize the love and concern that God has for us.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Name the areas of your life where there is confusion from a lack of understanding. Perhaps you’re having a hard time seeing the good in someone. Maybe you’re worried about the future. What will you do this week that will help you see it from God’s perspective?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
1. In the first reading, God makes it clear that he sees what we cannot see when we’re focused on external evidence. Think of a time when you looked deeper or beyond the obvious. How did that change you?

2. In Ephesians 5, we read that we have become light in the Lord. Name some of the good fruits that come from the ability to see what Jesus is doing in your life.

3. The Gospel reading illustrates that those who think they can see the truth are very often blind, and those who acknowledge their blindness become able to see clearly. Why does this happen? How has it happened to you?

To help you reflect further about this, go to our video: “Someone cares about you” @ https://gnm-media.org/someone-cares-about-you/

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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