4th Sunday of Lent, Cycle A


1st Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

David is Anointed
-------------------------
[1b] The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have
rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I will
send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among
his sons."

[6] When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anoin-
ted is before him." [7] But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appea-
rance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him; for the Lord
sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks on the heart."

[10] And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said
to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these." [11] And Samuel said to Jesse,
"Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but be-
hold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him;
for we will not sit down till he comes here." [12] And he sent, and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. And the Lord
said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." [13a] Then Samuel took the horn of oil,
and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon David from that day forward.

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Commentary:

16:1-31:13. This, the last section of 1 Samuel, begins with an account of Samu-
el's anointing of David, in a private, familial setting, is reminiscent of Saul's anoin-
ting, which was also done in secret (cf. 10:1-16). The narrative emphasizes that
David does not in any way merit his election: he is a nobody, from a family of no
importance: no genealogy is provided, apart from the name of Jesse, his father
(v. 5); he is the youngest of his brothers (vv. 11-12) and, like the rest of his family,
he works as a shepherd: he doesn't come from a noble or military or priestly fa-
mily. He could have no claim to be anointed king. 

God's gratuitous choice of this shepherd boy gives deep, religious meaning to his
reception by Saul (16:14-23) and by the people, when he later kills Goliath (17:55
-18:5). David's qualities and feats would not have been enough to advance him,
had not God first singled him out. David is a type of those who in the Christian dis-
pensation are called to offices in the Church: what matters is not background, per-
sonal qualities or material resources but the realization that one is called by God.
Also, one needs to bear in mind that "man looks on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks on the heart" (v. 7); from this derives the requirement to live and
act in keeping with the call one is given. "For by his power to know himself in the
depths of his being he rises above the whole universe of mere objects. When he
is drawn to think about his real self, he turns to those deep recesses of his being
where God who probes the heart awaits him, and where he himself decides his
own destiny in the sight of God" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 14).
　

2nd Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14

Walking in the Light
-----------------------------
[5] For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as chil-
dren of light [9] ( for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
[10] and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. [11] Take no part in the unfruit-
ful works of darkness, but instead expose them. [12] For it is a shame even to
speak of the things that they do in secret; [13] but when anything is exposed by
the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.

[14] Therefore it is said, "Awake, 0 sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give you light."

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Commentary:

8-9. In contrast to the Christian's previous situation, which St Paul describes as
"darkness", he now goes on to speak about the proper course for a believer, for
someone enlightened by faith. The Christian is in a different position from that of
a pagan; he knows our Lord Jesus Christ and he has a new way of thinking: he
is a "child of light", because Christ has given him insight into the criteria which
should govern his behavior. In his new life, he should be light; he has been reborn
to be the "light of the world" (cf. Mt 5:14-16; Jn 1:5; 8:12), a pursuer of all that is
good and right and true; this means that he has a new way of being and thinking
and acting, and is an example and a help to those around him. There is no room
for excuses when what is at stake is the salvation of souls to whom we could be
giving a helping hand: "Do not say, I cannot help others," St John Chrysostom
preached; "if you are truly a Christian, it is impossible for you not to be able to
do so [...]. If we act properly, every thing else will follow as a natural conse-
quence. Christians' light cannot be hidden, a lamp so brilliant cannot fail to be
seen" ("Hom. on Acts", 20).

10. Created in the image and likeness of God, man is guided by reason, which
can lead him to recognize his Creator and shape his life in line with the moral
law God has impressed upon creation itself. He should always be trying to grow
in wisdom and knowledge: that is an essential feature of the human spirit. The
Second Vatican Council explained this in these terms: "The intellectual nature
of man finds at last its perfection, as it should, in wisdom, which gently draws
the human mind to look for and to love what is true and good. Filled with wisdom
man is led through visible realities to those which cannot be seen" ("Gaudium Et
Spes", 15). If a person uses his natural intellect properly, it will bring him closer
to God; moreover, the light of faith gives one a supernatural capacity to obtain
better insight into the nature of God and his plans, and greater discernment as
to what to do to please God.

A person who is in love tries to discover what the loved one likes, in order to do
what pleases the loved one. The love of God should also lead one to prove that
love with deeds, and not leave it at the level of words. If one is to offer God ac-
tions which are pleasing to him, one needs to have a good grasp of his com-
mandments, of Christian doctrine and moral teaching. A first sign of the sinceri-
ty of a person's love of God is the effort he makes to obtain good spiritual and
doctrinal training; that shows that he is at least making an effort in the right di-
rection.

11-13. By his word and example, a Christian sheds light on all human realities,
and thereby helps others to distinguish right from wrong. Anything that becomes
visible is "light": that is, when things are properly identified--when good is shown
to be good, and evil exposed for what it is (charitably but unambiguously) -- the
result is to dispel the confusion and moral relativism which does such harm to
society. Hence the Second Vatican Council's exhortation to all Christians, espe-
cially lay people: "At a time when new questions are being put and when grave
errors aiming at undermining religion, the moral order and human society itself
are rampant, the Council earnestly exhorts the laity to take a more active part,
each according to his or her talents and knowledge and in fidelity to the mind of
the Church, in the explanation and defense of Christian principles and in the cor-
rect application of them to the problems of our times" ("Apostolicam Actuosita-
tem", 6).

14. St Paul seems to be quoting from an early liturgical hymn, which depicts
Baptism as true enlightenment (cf. Heb 6:4; 10:32). By their good works -- the
light of the world--Christians can help "the dead", that is, those separated from
God by sin, to move out of darkness into the light, where they will attain through
Baptism that new life which membership of Christ brings. The Apostle is compa-
ring this situation to the luminous clarity a person obtains when he awakens from
a deep sleep, in contrast to the profound darkness experienced by one who re-
mains asleep. A sinner's conversion is the equivalent of rising up out of the sleep
of death into a new existence, life in a new world illuminated by Christ, who pos-
sesses and radiates the glorious light of God (cf. Heb 1:3).
　

Gospel Reading: John 9:1-41

The Cure of the Man Born Blind
----------------------------------------------
[1] As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth. [2] And His
disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was
born blind?" [3] Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,
but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. [4] We must work the
works of Him who sent Me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work.
[5] As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." [6] As He said this,
He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes
with the clay, [7] saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means
Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. [8] The neighbors and
those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used
to sit and beg?" [9] Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him."
He said, "I am the man." [10] They said to him, "Then how were your eyes
opened?" [11] The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said
to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight."
[12] They said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know."

[13] They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. [14]
Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
[15] The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said
to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." [16] Some of the
Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath."
But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such things?" There was
a division among them. [17] So they again said to the blind man, "What do you
say about Him, since He has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

[18] The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight,
until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight, [19] and
asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he
now see?" [20] His parents answered, "We know that this is our son, and that
he was born blind; [21] but how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know
who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself." [22]
His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already
agreed that if any one should confess Him to be Christ, he was to be put out
of the synagogue. [23] Therefore his parents said, "He is of age, ask him."

The Blindness of the Jews
--------------------------------------
[24] So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to
him, "Give God the praise; we know that this Man is a sinner." [25] He answered,
"Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that though I was blind,
now I see." [26] They said to him, "What did He do to you? How did He open your
eyes?" [27] He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again? Do you too want to become His disciples?"
[28] And they reviled him, saying, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of
Moses. [29] We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this Man, we do
not know where He comes from." [30] The man answered, "Why, this is a marvel!
You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. [31] We
know that God does not listen to sinners, but if any one is a worshipper of God
and does His will, God listens to him. [32] Never since the world began has it
been heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. [33] If this Man
were not from God, He could do nothing." [34] They answered him, "You were
born in utter sin and would you teach us?" And they cast him out.

[35] Jesus heard that they had cast him out and having found him, He said, "Do
you believe in the Son of Man?" [36] He answered, "And who is He, Sir, that I
may believe in Him?" [37] Jesus said to him, "You have seen Him, and it is He
who speaks to you." [38] He said, "Lord, I believe"; and he worshipped Him.
[39] Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see
may see, and that those who see may become blind." [40] Some of the Phari-
sees near Him heard this, and they said to Him, "Are we also blind?" [41] Jesus
said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say,
'We see', your guilt remains."

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Commentary:

2-3. The disciples' question echoes general Jewish views on the causes of ill-
ness and of misfortunes in general: they regarded them as punishment for perso-
nal sins (cf. Job 4:7-8; 2 Maccabees 7:18), or as the sins of parents being visited
on their children (cf. Tobit 3:3).

We know through Revelation (cf. Genesis 3:16-19; Romans 5:12; etc.) that the
origin of all the misfortunes which afflict mankind is sin--Original Sin and later per-
sonal sin. However, this does not mean that each misfortune or illness has its
immediate cause in a personal sin, as if God inflicted or allowed evils to happen
in direct proportion to every sin committed. Suffering, which is so often a factor
in the life of the just man, can be a resource God sends him to cleanse him of
his imperfections, to exercise him in virtue and to unite him to the sufferings of
Christ the Redeemer, who although He was innocent, bore in Himself the punish-
ments our sins merited (cf. Isaiah 53:4; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 3:5). For example,
our Lady and St. Joseph and all the Saints have experienced intense suffering,
thereby sharing in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

4-5. The "day" refers to Jesus' life on earth. Hence the urgency with which He
approaches the task of doing the will of the Father until He reaches His death,
which He compares with "night". This "night" can also be understood as refer-
ring to the end of the world; in this passage it means that the Redemption of
men brought about by Christ needs to be continued by the Church throughout
the centuries, and also that Christians should strive to spread the Kingdom of
God.

"Time is precious, time passes, time is a phase of experiment with regard to our
decisive and definitive fate. Our future and eternal destiny depends on the proof
we give of faithfulness to our duties. Time is a gift from God; it is a question posed
by God's love to our free and, it can be said, fateful answer. We must be sparing
of time, in order to use it well, in the intense activity of our life of work, love and
suffering. Idleness or boredom have no place in the life of a Christian! Rest, yes,
when necessary (cf. Mark 6:31), but always with a view to vigilance, which only
on the last day will open to a light on which the sun will never set" (Paul VI, "Ho-
mily", 1 January 1976).

Jesus proclaims that He is the Light of the world because His life among men
has given us the ultimate meaning of the world, of the life of every man and eve-
ry woman, and of mankind as a whole. Without Jesus all creation is in dark-
ness, it does not understand itself, it does not know where it is going. "Only in
the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. [...]
Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful;
apart from His Gospel they overwhelm us" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).
Jesus warns us--as He will do more clearly in John 12:35-36--of the need to let
ourselves be enlightened by the Light, which is He Himself (cf. John 1:9-12).

6-7. This cure is done in two stages--Jesus' action on the eyes of the blind man,
and the man being told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Our Lord also used
saliva to cure a man who was deaf and dumb (cf. Mark 7:33) and another blind
man (cf. Mark 8:23). The pool of Siloam was a reservoir built by King Hezekiah
in the seventh century B.C., to supply Jerusalem with water (cf. Kings 20:20;
2 Chronicles 32:30); the prophets regarded these waters as a sign of divine favor
(cf. Isaiah 8:6; 22:11). St. John, using the broader etymology of the word Siloam,
applies it to Jesus who is the "One sent" by the Father. Our Lord works through
the medium of matter to produce effects which exceed anything matter can do.
Something similar will occur with the Sacraments: through His word He will con-
fer on material media the power of spiritually regenerating man.

Our Lord's instruction to the blind man is reminiscent of the miracle of Naaman,
the Syrian general who was cured of leprosy when, on the instruction of the pro-
phet Elisha, he washed seven times in the waters of the Jordan (cf. 2 Kings 5:
1ff). Naaman had hesitated before obeying; whereas the blind man obeys prompt-
ly without asking questions or raising objections.

"What an example of firm faith the blind man gives us! A living, operative faith. Do
you behave like this when God commands, when so often you cannot see, when
your soul is worried and the light is gone? What power could the water possibly
contain that when the blind man's eyes were moistened with it they were cured? 
Surely some mysterious eye salve, or a precious medicine made up in the labora-
tory of some wise alchemist, would have done better? But the man believed; he
acted upon the command of God, and he returned with eyes full of light" (St. J.
Escriva, "Friends of God", 193).

8-34. After recounting the miracle, the Evangelist reports the doubts of the man's
friends and neighbors (verses 8-12) and inquiry made by the Pharisees: they ques-
tion the man (verses 13-17), his parents (verses 18-23), and then the man again,
whom they end up condemning and expelling from their presence (verses 24-34).
This passage is so full of detail that it looks like an eyewitness account.

The Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen this miracle as symbolizing
the Sacrament of Baptism in which, through the medium of water, the soul is
cleansed and receives the light of faith: "He sent the man to the pool called the
pool of Siloam, to be cleansed and to be enlightened, that is, to be baptized and
receive in Baptism full enlightenment" (St. Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on
St. John, in loc.").

This episode also reflects the different attitudes of people to our Lord and His mi-
racles. The blind man, a straightforward person, believes in Jesus as envoy, pro-
phet (verses 17, 33) and Son of God (verses 17, 33, 38); whereas the Pharisees
persist in not wanting to see or believe, despite the clear evidence before them
(verses 24-34).

In this miracle Jesus once again reveals Himself as the light of the world. This
bears out the statement in the prologue: "The true light that enlightens every man
was coming into the world" (1-9). Not only does He give light to the eyes of the
blind man: He enlightens his soul, leading him to make an act of faith in His divi-
nity (verse 38). At the same time we can see the obvious drama of those whose
blindness darkens their minds, as our Lord said in His dialogue with Nicodemus:
"The light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, be-
cause their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

14-16. The Pharisees bring up the same accusation as they did when the para-
lyzed man was cured beside the pool (John 5:10) and as on other occasions Je-
sus has broken the Law because He cures the sick on the Sabbath (cf. Luke 13:
16; 14:5, etc.). Christ had often taught that observance of the law of Sabbath rest
(cf. Exodus 20:8, 11; 21:13; Deuteronomy 5:14) was compatible with the duty to
do good (cf. Matthew 12:3-8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). Charity, the good of others,
takes precedence over all the other commandments (cf. note on Matthew 12:3-
8). If rules are given precedence in a blind sort of way over the inescapable obliga-
tions of justice and charity, the result is fanaticism, which always goes against
the Gospel and even against right reason--as happens in this instance with the
Pharisees. Their minds are so closed that they do not want to see God's hand
in something which simply could not be done without divine power. The dilemma
they pose themselves--is He a man of God, as His miracles imply; or a sinner,
because He does not keep the Sabbath (cf. Mark 3:23-30)? -- can only arise in
people whose outlook is that of religious fanatics. Their mistaken interpretation
of how certain precepts should be kept leads them to forget the essence of the
Law -- love of God and love of neighbor.

To avoid accepting Jesus' divinity, the Pharisees reject the only possible correct
interpretation of the miracle; whereas the blind man--like all unprejudiced people
open to the truth--finds solid grounds in the miracle for confessing that Christ
works through the power of God (John 9:33): "He supported and confirmed His
preaching by miracles to arouse faith of His hearers and give them assurance,
but not to coerce them" (Vatican II, "Dignitatis Humanae", 11).

24. "Give God the praise": a solemn declaration, like an oath, exhorting a person
to tell the truth. But the Pharisees are not looking for the truth: they want to inti-
midate the man to get him to withdraw his statement. They try to pressurize him
by warning him: "We know this Man is a sinner". St. Augustine comments:
"What do they mean, Give God the praise? They mean, deny what you have
received. Clearly, this is not to give God the praise, but rather to blaspheme
against God" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 44, 11).

25-34. This interrogation shows that the miracle was so patent that not even His
enemies could deny it. Our Lord worked many miracles during His public ministry,
showing that He had complete power over everything, in other words that He was
divine.

Rationalism, basing itself on an erroneous philosophical principle, refuses to ac-
cept that God can intervene in a supernatural way in this world; it therefore de-
nies the possibility of miracles: but the Church has always taught that miracles
do happen and that they serve a purpose: "If any one shall say that miracles are
impossible, and therefore all the accounts regarding them, even those contained
in Holy Scripture, are to be dismissed as fabulous or mythical; or that miracles
can never be known with certainty, and that the divine origin of Christianity cannot
be proved by them--let him be "anathema" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius", Chapter 3, and
Canon 4).

29. Everyone saw the miracle, but the Pharisees are so stubborn that they will
not accept the significance of the event, not even after questioning the man him-
self and his parents. "The sin of the Pharisees did not consist in not seeing God
in Christ, but in voluntarily shutting themselves up within themselves, in not let-
ting Jesus, who is the light, open their eyes" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By", 71).

As this episode proceeds, the faith of the man himself deepens. He begins by
recognizing Jesus as a prophet (verse 17) and he ends up acknowledging His
divinity (verse 35); whereas over the same course of events the authorities be-
come more and more obstinate--moving from doubt (verse 16), through the blas-
phemous assertion that Jesus is a sinner, to eventually expelling the beggar
(verse 34)--a useful warning about the danger of pride which can blind one to the
obvious.

34. After the Babylonian exile (sixth century B.C.), a Jewish custom developed
of expelling from the synagogue those who had committed certain crimes. This
took two forms--temporary expulsion for thirty days as a disciplinary measure,
and permanent expulsion, which later was often imposed on Jews who became
Christians. What is being referred to here is probably permanent expulsion,
which was what was planned (verse 22) and which is noted elsewhere in the
Gospels (cf. 12:42; 16:2; Luke 6:22).

34. 바빌론 유배(기원전 6세기) 후, 특정한 범죄들을 범하였던 자들을 회당으로부터 
축출하는 것에 대한 한 개의 유다 관습이 발전하였습니다. 이것은 다음과 같은 
두 개의 형식(forms)들을 취하였습니다 -- 한 징계의 조치로서 삼십 일 동안 일시적 
추방(expulsion), 그리고, 나중에 그리스도인들이 된 유다인들에게 자주 부과되었던(*), 
항구적 추방. 여기에서 언급되고 있는 바는 아마도, 계획된 바였던(제22절) 그리고 
복음서들의 다른 장소들에서 목격되는(12,42; 16,2; 루카 복음서 6,22를 참조하라), 
항구적 추방일 것입니다.

-----
(*) 번역자 주: 기원후 85년경에 팔레스티나 지역의 라삐들에 의하여 개최되었던 
얌니아 회의 개최 이후를 말하며, 이에 대한 더 자세한 글은 다음에 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/770.htm
-----

35-38. This does not seem to have been an accidental meeting. The Pharisees
have cast the man out of the synagogue; our Lord not only receives him but helps
him make an act of faith in His divinity: "Now with the face of his heart washed
and with his conscience cleansed, he acknowledges Him to be not only the Son
of Man but Son of God" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 44, 15). This dialogue
reminds us of Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:26).

39. This judgment which our Lord pronounces follows on the act of faith of the
man who has been cured, and the persistent obstinacy of the Pharisees. He has
not come to condemn the world but to save it (cf. John 3:17), but His presence
among us already involves a judgment, because each of us has to take a stand
on whether to reject or accept Jesus. Christ's coming implies the fall of some and
the salvation of others (cf. Luke 2:34). In this sense, we will fall into one of two ca-
tegories (cf. John 3:18-21; 12:47-48): on the one hand, the humble of heart (cf
Matthew 11:25), who recognize their failings and who go to Jesus in search of for-
giveness (these will receive the light He is speaking of); on the other hand, those
who are satisfied with themselves and think that they do not need Christ or His
word (they say they see but they are blind). Thus we ourselves decide our ulti-
mate fate, depending on whether we accept or reject Jesus.

40-41. Jesus' words sting the Pharisees, who are always looking to catch Him
out in something He says. They realize that He is referring to them and they ask
Him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus' answer is quite clear: they can see but they do
not want to: therefore they are unworthy. "If you realized you were blind, if you ad-
mitted you were blind and ran to the physician, you would have no sin, for I have
come to take away sin; but because you say that you can see, you remain in
your blindness" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 45, 17).


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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 
출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다. 그리고 본문 중의 우리말 번역문에 
대한 저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]