Daily Readings - Sun Mar 22 2020

¹The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."⁶When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these."¹¹So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."¹²So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Ephesians

Chapter 5

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord.¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.¹³But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,¹⁴for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

John

Chapter 9

¹As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.⁶Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.⁷"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.⁸His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?"⁹Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man."¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath.¹⁵Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.¹⁷Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened." The man replied, "He is a prophet."³⁴To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"³⁶"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."³⁷Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."³⁸Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

Sermon

In today's readings, we are invited to reflect on the themes of divine sight, living in light, and the transformative power of faith. The first reading from 1 Samuel reminds us that God's choices often defy human expectations. Samuel was sent to anoint a new king, but he had to look beyond appearances. Eliab, the eldest, seemed the obvious choice, yet God selected David, the youngest, unseen by others. This teaches us that true worth is not in outward appearances but in the depth of the heart. God sees beyond what we see, calling us to trust in His plan, even when it seems unconventional. The second reading from Ephesians urges us to live as children of light, embodying goodness, justice, and truth. It warns against the darkness of sin and encourages us to expose it with light. This call to virtue is a reminder to live authentically, aligning our actions with God's will, and to awaken from spiritual slumber, letting Christ illuminate our path. The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the Light of the World, who heals a man born blind. Despite the Pharisees' objections, the man's faith leads him to worship Jesus. This story highlights the conflict between spiritual blindness and the enlightenment of faith. It invites us to see beyond physical sight to the spiritual reality that Jesus brings. In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to trust God's plan, even when it seems unexpected. We are called to live virtuously, shining as lights in the world. Let us embrace faith, even in the face of opposition, and seek spiritual sight to truly see and worship God.