St. Philip Catholic Church: Today, the Church pauses in the middle of Lent to celebrate Laetare Sunday. The word Laetare means rejoice. Even in this penitential season, the Church gives us a moment of hope and joy because Easter is drawing near. And the theme that runs throughout all the readings of today light. St. Paul tells us in the second reading, ⁓ you were in darkness, but now, you are light the ⁓ In the Gospel, Jesus heals the man who was blind from birth. But the story is not only about physical blindness. It's about spiritual blindness and spiritual sight. In the first reading, the Samuel goes to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel. When Samuel sees Eliab ⁓ He thinks, surely the Lord anointed is here. But God corrects him with these powerful words. Not as man sees does God sees, because man sees the appearance, but God looks the heart. Humans begins judging by appearance, status, success, but God ⁓ looks That is why God chooses David. the youngest son, shepherd boy, ⁓ by everyone else. This reading reminds us that God sees what others cannot see. He sees our strengths, our faith, our sincerity, ⁓ our desires to follow Him. In the Gospel, Jesus encounters a man who has been blind since birth. The disciples ask a question many ask today. Who sinned? this man or his parents. In other words, they were assuming suffering must be a punishment. But Jesus rejects that idea. Instead, he reveals that God's works will be made visible through this man. Jesus heals him by making mud with saliva and putting on his eyes. telling him to wash into the Pool of Siloam. When did we hear about clay being used? Genesis. So in a way here, Jesus is recreating this man in a new way. The man watched and he can see. But the real miracle is not only that his eyes are open, it is the faith grows step by step. First, he calls Jesus. The man called Jesus. Then he says Jesus is a prophet. Finally, he proclaims, Lord, I believe, and he worships him. Meanwhile, the Pharisees who have perfect eyesight remain spiritually blind. Last week, I heard something that really kept me thinking about. And before you start to complain or say anything or write to the bishop, just hear what I'm saying, okay? Why do we go to confession? Do we go to confession because ⁓ we sinned and we have to be clean before we go to communion? Or do we go to confession because we want our lives to be transformed? how many times we go to confession and we confess exactly the same sins. Sometimes it's like, see you buddy next Saturday, be here, be the same sins, come back. That's good. That's okay. But that's the bare minimum. don't go... You got the point? Yes or no? So don't go... Go to confess. If you have to confess the same things again, let's go and do it. But what are you doing to change your life? Or on the next Saturday or the next Tuesday, you're gonna come back and confess the same. And hey, I'm telling we because I do that all the time too. Are we going to confession to go to communion or are we going to confession to change our lives? That's spiritual blindness. And for those who don't even go to confession, it's even worse for you. Why do we go to confession? Do we go to confession just because we want to receive communion? Or do we allow that sacrament to really change us? So this is a great irony of the Gospel. The man who could not see comes to believe. While those who claim to see refuse to believe. And here's another beautiful detail of the Gospel. After the man is healed, the Pharisees ignore him repeatedly. They pressure him. They try to make him deny Jesus, but the man refuses because he had that encounter with Christ. Finally, he says something simple and powerful. One thing I do know, I was blind and now I can see. That transformation happened in that man's Life. He does not have a complicated theology. He does not know everything about Jesus, but he knows what Jesus did for him. Do we know what Jesus did for us? And because he knows what Jesus did for him, that's enough. Sometimes the most powerful witness we can give is simply say, this is what God has done in my life. In the second reading, St. Paul gives us the challenge of today's Gospel. He says, live as children of light. And to live in the light means to seek truth, to reject sin and darkness, to live in goodness, justice, and truth. Let us precisely this time when Jesus went to open our hearts. But do we want our hearts to be open? Or this is just another Lent that we live in? Do we really God to transform our lives in this Lent? Or is just something else? ⁓ Sometimes we may be blind to our pride, our sins, the need of others, and sometimes even God's presence in our lives. Do we really recognize who Jesus is? Do we really recognize what Mass is about? You know something that sucks every Sunday when I come here and I'm not celebrating Mass is I see people leaving Mass earlier. I'm not even gonna talk about the people who get here early. I mean late because you already know how I feel about that. And I was communicated by the bishop's office how you feel about me saying that. I'm very sarcastic. I've been called a lot of times to the Bishop's office. You know what he said? "I like what you're doing," But anyways... If we really knew what happened in this altar... Nobody would leave this place. We'll be fighting to be here and stay with Jesus. And I think that's the problem that we have. We don't recognize who is here. We don't recognize that this is the biggest miracle that you're ever going to see in your entire life. This is the closest you're going to get to heaven on earth. and brothers and sisters, what in this world is more important than that? A breakfast? A parking lot? We really understand and try to live our lives in the way that we know what is happening or we don't. So it breaks my heart, people leaving. You know, they call the host and coast. They receive the host and... Jesus is the light of the world And he wants to heal us just in the same way that he healed that blind man. This is why today in the Laetare Sunday, a Sunday of joy in the middle of Lent, because the message is this. Even if we have been darkness, Christ can bring us into the light. Even if when we have been blind, Christ can open our hearts. Even if our lives feel broken or lost. Christ can restore us. What did we sing today on the sound? The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. The good shepherd leads us out of darkness into light. The problem is there's so many times we don't want it because we want things on our way and I'm saying our not your. I know that, I'm a sinner too folks, don't worry. My mouth is the closest to my ear. We need to have a conversion of heart. We need to allow Christ to transform our lives. Today the Gospel invites us and each one of us to ask one simple question. Am I willing to let Christ open my eyes? The blind man accepts the healing of Jesus. He trusts Him. He obeys Him. And his life was transformed. May we have the humility to recognize our blindness and the faith to say with Him, Lord, I believe.