Liturgy and Homily of Eucharist for Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A) by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP -Rooted in Hope, Rising in Lov
Living with Open Eyes, Awakening to Truth
...At the beginning of John 9, the disciples ask a question that feels painfully familiar even today:
“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
It is a question rooted in blame, moral accounting, and fear. Someone must be at fault. Suffering must have a reason. Disorder must be explained so that the world feels manageable again.
I have heard this question in many forms throughout my ministry. People rarely ask it directly, but it lives underneath so much pain. What did I do wrong? Why did this happen? Why was I excluded? For many—especially women and those pushed to the margins by church or society—suffering has too often been interpreted as failure or punishment.
Jesus refuses this framework entirely. He rejects not only the question but the theology behind it.
Jesus consistently dismantles religious systems that link suffering with guilt or exclusion. There is no divine punishment at work here—only an opportunity for life, dignity, and healing to be revealed in community.
In the language of our Lenten journey, this is where hope takes root. When blame loosens its grip, the possibility of new life begins.
Notice something crucial in this Gospel:Jesus heals the man—but the real transformation unfolds after Jesus is gone.
The man must now face neighbors, religious authorities, and systems invested in keeping things the way they are. Healing does not make his life easier. It makes his life more dangerous.
I remember accompanying a woman years ago who had long been told that her voice did not belong in the institutional Church. Mary loved God deeply but learned to remain silent in order to remain accepted. She had absorbed the message—spoken and unspoken—that to stand at the altar one had to resemble Jesus in a physical way, that priesthood required maleness rather than discipleship, compassion, and fidelity to the Gospel.
Over time, as Mary experienced herself as beloved and called within an inclusive Catholic community, something shifted. She began to speak—first hesitantly, then with clarity. She shared her love for God, her call to serve, and the pain of being told that her very body made her incapable of imaging Christ. As she claimed her voice, she also claimed her call....
https://open.substack.com/pub/bridgetmarymeehan/p/liturgy-and-homily-for-fourth-sunday?r=2kfqor&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
