March 23, 2020
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Year A) on March 22, 2020 at St. Austin Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; and John 9:1-41. Because public Masses were cancelled in Austin due to coronavirus concerns, the Mass was video recorded and is available for viewing here, although there are a few jumps in the video, due to the lack of reliable internet in the church. An online worship aide can be found here
Welcome to everyone watching with us: wherever you are, whenever you see this, and however you’re dressed!
As sad and as painful as it may feel not to receive the Eucharist this Sunday, we know that this had happened to other Catholics over the course of time, and it happens even today in many parts of the world where there are not enough priests, such as in the Amazon. In these situations, we are invited to make a spiritual communion, not only uniting ourselves with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but also uniting ourselves with the other members of the Body of Christ spread throughout the world. To prepare for the rest of this Mass, here is a prayer of spiritual communion written by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that you are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart…. I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you; never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Since most people participating in this Mass are doing it virtually, we’re going to try two things to make it more interactive.
- First of all, I’m going to ask two discussion questions near the end of the homily. For you who are watching “live” in a group, be prepared to jot the questions down so you can discuss them after the Mass is over. If you are watching this recording later, pause the Mass and discuss the questions. If you are watching alone, perhaps you can discuss these questions later with friends or family, or you can take them to prayer.
- Second, most of us celebrating this Mass together online can’t see each other. If you have the tech savvy to do so, plan to post a picture or a 5-second video in the comments on this video when we get to the Sign of Peace.
Today is Laetare Sunday, taking its name from the first word of the Latin introit sung on this day: rejoice! Especially before the liturgical changes of Vatican II, this day had a more festive quality than the rest of Lent: it was the one day when weddings could be celebrated in Lent; servants were released from their work to visit their own families. Today, we still can wear rose-colored vestments.
Today, we hear the wonderful story of Jesus healing the man born blind. However, John refers to those people who are metaphorically blind as “the Jews.” Let us be mindful that John is not referring to all Jewish people, but to a select few religious leaders in Jerusalem. Today’s other readings also explore the contrast between seeing and blindness.
For the times when we have been blind to God’s presence in our own lives, we ask for God’s mercy. —
Even though a few ministers are here at St. Austin receiving the Eucharist today, it’s just not the same without all of you!
Mass has a way of intensifying our feelings. Over the past week and a half, the time that I get the most in touch with the stress, worry, annoyance, and emptiness caused by the pandemic, is when I’m here celebrating Mass or operating the camera in this big, empty space. I’ve cried. It’s just not the same without all of you!
Christ is present at every Mass in at least four different ways: Christ is present in our gathering as the people of God. Christ is present in our hearing the proclamation in the Word of God. Even though I am unworthy of the honor, the Church says that Christ is present in me as presider in persona Christi. And of course, most miraculously, Christ is present in the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament itself. How can we be sacramental people in this time when we cannot receive sacraments? Although being together for Mass physically is not possible right now, our gathering for Mass virtually still makes Christ present in several ways. Laetare! Let us rejoice in that!
Our lives are being upended by the coronavirus. Some of us have lost our jobs, and others wonder how much longer we will be employed. Yet others of us are working incredibly long hours, some of us are struggling to master the art of remote working while supervising our children’s schoolwork. Some are stressed. Some are bored. We don’t know how long this uncertainty will last. We don’t know if our safety precautions are too little or too much. We don’t even know how many of us watching this video are currently carrying the novel coronavirus. This stress, worry, annoyance, and emptiness can make us blind to the role God plays in our lives.
But faith is not about certainty. The oldest son is not necessarily the best leader. The religious authority may not recognize the miracle of God. Faith can blossom in the most extraordinary circumstances. The young shepherd boy is anointed king. The blind man comes to the clearest sight.
As we’ve said before, the word “Lent” comes from an old German word meaning springtime. And like the springtime, Lent is a season, and every time it comes around, we are in a different place in our own lives. The Church has also said that fasting is a way to make us more aware of what we value and what we need. This is surely not the Lent that any of us planned for, but many of us will find unexpected blessings in this season of unanticipated fasting.
A friend of mine posted online that although she and her family have participated in Mass only occasionally in recent years, she was shocked at how devastated she feels by the cancellation of public Masses. She wrote: “We will get through this [time of social distancing] mostly intact and also blessed with a new gratitude for all the little things we took for granted. I know the next Mass I attend will feel like the true blessing it always was.”
The Book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is “a time for embracing, and a time to be far from embraces” (3:5b). There are blessings in each time, if we only look for them.
And so I offer us two questions to reflect on. Again, if you’re watching live, you might want to jot these down to contemplate and discuss later. If you’re watching later, you may want to pause the recording after each question to take a few minutes for prayer and discussion.
- Question #1: How do I allow the stress of this time to blind me to God’s graces?
- Question #2: As I fast from my usual routine, how do I more clearly see my priorities?
For me, I’ve come to appreciate how much all of us desire social connection. Every telephone conversation I’ve had in the past few days – including every technical phone call to a stranger – has taken longer to complete because it seems that everyone wants to keep talking to other human beings.
In conclusion, I’d like to share this blessing from the Black Rock Prayer Book:
The world now is too dangerous
and too beautiful for anything but love.
May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone.
Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor.
May your hands be so blessed
that everything you touch is a sacrament.
Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love.
May your feet be so blessed you run
to those who need you.
And may your heart be so opened,
so set on fire, that your love,
your love, changes everything.
God is present in all places and all times. Even if we cannot see each other today, God is still present within us and among us. May our eyes be open to see it!