Laetare Sunday: 4th Sunday of Lent
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni OSB – Fourth Sunday Of Lent – Year A
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: Spiritual Healing! Christ is the Healer! See as God sees! Be a God’s reflection! Laetare Sunday!
The fourth Sunday of Lent is most commonly known as Laetare Sunday. The name comes from the Latin word laetare (meaning “rejoice”), which is the first word of the traditional entrance antiphon for the Mass of that day: Laetare Jerusalem (Rejoice, O Jerusalem). This Sunday serves as a joyful “pause” or midpoint during the penitential season of Lent, signalling that Easter is approaching.
Point of Reflection: What do you see? Today’s readings teach that the human way of seeing and evaluating others needs God’s healing touch. This was evident in the case of Samuel, who, despite his prophetic insight, judged on the basis of appearances. For the Ephesians, their way of practising Christianity was to live in the light and as the children of light, allowing their existence to be illumined by the light of the Risen Christ. For the blind man in the Gospel story, the physical healing of blindness led him to the right perception of Jesus, and, eventually, to saving faith. To see as God sees is to find a guiding light that leads to salvation. The Psalmist knew this truth when he composed his beautiful poem that states, “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me”.
First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6–7, 10–13
Psalm: Psalm 23:1–6
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8–14
Gospel: John 9:1, 6–9, 13–17, 34–38
What do we need during this Lenten season? As Christians, we need healing! In this Lenten period, let us restore our sight by asking Jesus Christ to heal us and live like Christ.
We are in the Lenten season, and we need to experience change, today the structure of sharing the Word of God is different. We will begin with the Christian Act in the Word, then the Sermon-Reflection.
Christian Act in Word of God: “Christ is the healer”
We begin our Christian Act today with the Gospel shortened story of the healing of a man blind from birth. Jesus approached this man with great respect. According to the customs of the day he made clay with saliva and smeared it on the blind man’s eyes. He then commanded the man to go and wash his eyes in the Pool of Siloam. As the man obediently fulfilled Jesus’ command, his sight was restored. What made him be healed was the fact that he faithfully obeyed Jesus during this Lenten season. Do we want healing? If so, are we faithfully obedient to God? If we need spiritual and physical healing, we must faithfully follow the commandments of God.
Furthermore, we can note that the healing of the blind man did not stop on the physical level. The story is symbolic and focuses on spiritual healing. Through the healing and further contact with Jesus, the man gradually grew in his understanding of Jesus’ identity. First, he considered Jesus just a healer, a miracle worker who helped him regain physical sight. Next, after the dialogue with doubting Pharisees, the former blind man acknowledged Jesus as “a prophet”. Who is our healer as Christians? Where do we turn to when we are in problems? Jesus is the healer and a miracle worker.
Finally, during the second meeting with Jesus and enlightened by his words, this man who was once blind professed Jesus as the “Lord” and worshipped him. His capacity of seeing fundamentally changed on the level of faith. In this story, “to see” becomes a synonym for “to believe”. The man was healed from blindness to God’s presence in the world. He was allowed to see God in Jesus and find new life guided by this insight. Restoration of sight in this story was about recognising Jesus as God’s Son and believing in him. As Christians, we may have spiritual blindness in one way or another; let us pray today and during this Lenten period that Jesus Christ may heal us. He is the healer, and once we are healed in Jesus Christ’s name, we will ever and ever live in Peace. Jesus is the living water.
Sermon (Reflection): In the first reading of today, the Lord reproaches Samuel for grieving for Saul, the first king of Israel, whom he had previously anointed. This first king was a tragic figure, rejected as a leader because of his repeated disobedience. From the human point of view, Saul had all the qualities needed to be a capable and impressive ruler. The text affirms that “there was no other Israelite more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulders above the people” (Cf. 1 Sam 9:2). Still, he failed the most important test for any ruler, that of obedient listening to the Lord. To replace him, God chose another man who would lead his people, and Samuel, God’s prophet, was sent to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem to identify and anoint him.
At the presentation of Jesse’s sons, the prophet, as was the case with Saul, paid attention to the external appearances of the potential candidates and judged them accordingly. The first one, Eliab, was immediately chosen by Samuel, who observed his “lofty stature”. But the Lord saw and judged differently. He corrected and instructed Samuel stating that “the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”. Samuel was to abandon not only grieving for the handsome and tall Saul, but also to change his way of assessing the value of persons. Samuel’s “sight” had to be healed and transformed by accepting God’s way of “seeing”. God’s way of seeing goes deeper and beyond the physical, the obvious and the visible. It reaches the heart of a person and recognises what lies beneath the surface and the facade of appearances. David was anointed because, in the long run and despite his faults, he would remain loyal to God. This was the reason why he found favour in God’s eyes. The text states that David had “fine eyes”. The faithful heart of this newly appointed king was recognisable in the graciousness reflected in his eyes.
The metaphors associated with seeing, light and darkness are also found in Paul’s address to the Ephesians. Writing to this community, he stated that “once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light”. In the context, it is clear that the situation of darkness describes the life of immorality and disobedience to the demands of life in God’s kingdom. Such behaviour was typical for idolaters (cf. Eph 5:5). On the other hand, living “as children of light” meant the conduct suitable for a Christian as one that bears fruit “in all that is good and right and true”.
A life filled with the light remains a constant challenge for the faithful because a person must clearly perceive “what is pleasing to the Lord”, and this search for the will of God is not easy because it often remains hidden. It requires a clear-seeing eye, a sight purified by the study of God’s word, persistent prayer and honesty in dealing with others and ourselves. The context of the letter to the Ephesians suggests these as ways of coming to the light and combating the errors of darkness. With life thus enlightened and visible, the Ephesians would be imitators of God (cf. Eph 5:1), and would be able to follow their master Jesus who provides the necessary light to direct a believer’s life.
Today, the fourth Sunday of Lent, we are invited to look at how we see ourselves and others. We live in a world where we are not viewed and evaluated through God’s lens. We judge and are judged mostly through our external appearances and perceivable accomplishments. Our value is often decided on the basis of how we appear or what we are capable of achieving. In our time, there is much emphasis on the way we look. Are we dressed correctly? Have we got the latest fashions? Have we got the latest mobile phone? Are we using the best skin creams and lotions? These are worldly things designed to improve our outward appearances, but they do not impress God. What do you see when you look in a mirror? Do you see blemishes and wonder where they came from? What do you see when looking into your heart? Do you see scars from abuse, brokenness and loss? Do you see choices you regret and actions you wish were never done? What do you see when you look into the future? Do you see hopelessness, and more aches and pains?
Based on appearances, we tend to see ourselves in three ways. First, the negative way – I am so bad, I continue to fall into the same sins, and God cannot possibly love me. Second, the deceptive way – I am so much better than other people, and therefore I must be special in God’s eyes. Third, the real way – I am somewhere in between greatness and imperfection, an ordinary human being with great potential but also with many limitations and problems. The first point for reflection today must therefore be the question, “How do we see ourselves and how do we act on it?”
Today’s readings challenge us to go beyond our outward appearances and examine ourselves from the point of view of how God sees us and how God sees others. What does God see when he looks at us? God sees us objectively. He sees how different people have helped or hurt us. He sees our disappointments, our fear, our failures and how all these have changed us in positive and negative ways. He also sees our goodness and generosity, our positive qualities, our gifts and contributions. He sees and recognises that we are doing our best. He notices our striving for love and success and our search for answers, even though we often do not know where to look.
Most importantly, we are taught today that God ignores our appearances but sees our humanity through the eyes of unconditional love and acceptance. Our problems, selfishness, vanities, and anxieties often blind us to this very basic fact. God’s view is made obvious by the coming of his son, sent to save us. Furthermore, where we, like Samuel, see only human limits, weakness and brokenness, God sees an opportunity to reveal himself. The blindness of the man in the Gospel story was used by Jesus to lead him to faith. Even our faults and limits do not prevent God from acting through us.
Action: During this Lenten period, I will open my heart to be healed by Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Almighty Father, help us to see people and the world as you see them, to see through the eyes of your Son, and according to the light of your Spirit. Dear Lord Jesus Christ, as you healed the blind man, heal us Lord, today! We open our hearts to be healed. Clear away the clouds and distortions of reality that make us blind. Help us, Lord, to do good to the less advantaged, Amen.
- Laetare Sunday: 4th Sunday of Lent - March 12, 2026
- Jesus Christ is the Living Water: 3rd Sunday of Lent - March 6, 2026
- Listen to the Will of God: 2nd Sunday of Lent - February 27, 2026
