FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
26 MARCH 2017
The
great irony of today’s Gospel is that the man born into darkness comes to see
the Light of Jesus Christ shining in the darkness. The Pharisees are the religious leaders of
the people. They can see perfectly well. But, as the man born blind comes to see (in
John’s Gospel, to see is to believe), the Pharisees become more blind and
choose to dwell in darkness.
At the
10:00 Mass today, we celebrate the Second Scrutiny with the Elect. Like the man born blind, they have opened
their eyes to recognize Christ as the Light of the world. We pray for them as they prepare to receive
the light of Christ when they emerge from the waters of Baptism. But, in praying for them, we need to be
honest about the ways we fail to see (believe). I had a rude reminder of this a
couple of weeks ago. Completely fed up
with all the confusion surrounding our “exile” in the gyms, I was complaining
that people do not read, listen, or pay attention to instructions. One day I went to Costco, because they sell
pretty good coffee at a discount. When I
got to the checkout, I presented my Costco American Express card. The young man told me that they no longer
accept American Express cards. He
pointed to the sign which had been there for six months explaining the
change. Stricken, I slinked away
wondering how my blindness to the light of Christ affects my life and the lives
of so many people!
It is my
hope that our new church will support us in seeing the Light of Christ in our
world. The iconography was designed to
do just that. Let me explain the images:
- The Good Shepherd at the
top of the triumphal arch, with sheep coming to him from Bethlehem and
Jerusalem.
- His charge to Saint Peter
to tend the flock, with the large image of Saint Peter on the left.
- Above him are saints who
have a connection to our parish interceding for us.
- His charge to Saint Pius X
to continue to tend the flock as a successor of Saint Peter, with the
large image of Saint Pius on the right.
- Above him are more saints
with a connection to our parish interceding for us.
- In the crossing are the
evangelists, two of whom are apostles.
There are also 4 trees, reminding us that all our roads around here
are named after trees.
- In the nave are the other
ten apostles.
- Above the Altar is the
cross, with the Beloved Apostle and the Mother of God standing on an anchor. The anchor is the emblem for the
Congregation of Holy Cross who founded this parish, and it is also part of
the coat of arms of Saint Pius X.
As we continue our Lenten journey,
we pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see him more clearly.
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