Today's Gospel March 22 2020 with comment

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John 9,1: 41-XNUMX.
At that time, Jesus passing by saw a man blind from birth
and his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who has sinned, he or his parents, because he was born blind?"
Jesus replied: «Neither he sinned nor his parents, but this is how the works of God were manifested in him.
We must do the works of the one who sent me until it is day; then the night comes, when nobody can operate anymore.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world ».
Having said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with saliva, smeared mud on the blind man's eyes
and said to him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Sìloe (which means Sent)." He went, washed and came back to see us.
Then the neighbors and those who had seen him before, since he was a beggar, said: "Isn't he the one who was sitting asking for alms?"
Some said, "It's him"; others said, "No, but he looks like him." And he said, "It's me!"
Then they asked him, "How then were your eyes opened?"
He replied: "That man named Jesus made mud, smeared my eyes and said to me: Go to Sìloe and wash yourself! I went and, after washing myself, I bought my sight ».
They said to him, "Where's this guy?" He replied, "I don't know."
Meanwhile they led what had been blind to the Pharisees:
it was in fact Saturday the day when Jesus had made mud and opened his eyes.
So the Pharisees also asked him again how he had acquired the sight. And he said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed myself and I see him."
Then some of the Pharisees said: "This man does not come from God, because he does not observe the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a sinner perform such wonders?" And there was dissent between them.
Then they said to the blind man again, "What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He replied, "He is a prophet!"
But the Jews did not want to believe that he had been blind and had acquired the sight, until they called the parents of the one who had recovered the sight.
And they asked them, "Is this your son, whom you say was born blind?" How come you see us now? '
The parents replied: «We know that this is our son and that he was born blind;
as he now sees us, we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes; ask him, he is of age, he will talk about himself ».
This was what his parents said, because they were afraid of the Jews; in fact the Jews had already established that, if one had recognized him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said: "He is of age, ask him!"
Then they called again the man who had been blind and said to him: "Give glory to God!" We know that this man is a sinner ».
He replied: "If I am a sinner, I don't know; one thing I know: before I was blind and now I see you ».
Then they said to him again, "What has he done to you?" How did he open your eyes? »
He answered them, "I have already told you and you have not listened to me; why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too? »
Then they insulted him and said to him, "You are his disciple, we are disciples of Moses!"
We know that God spoke to Moses; but he does not know where he is from. "
That man replied to them: "This is strange, that you do not know where it is from, yet it has opened my eyes.
Now, we know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is God-fearing and does his will, he listens to him.
From what world is the world, it has never been heard that one opened the eyes of a man born blind.
If he were not from God, he could not have done anything ».
They replied, "You were born all in sins and want to teach us?" And they kicked him out.
Jesus knew that they had chased him out, and when he met him he said to him: "Do you believe in the Son of man?"
He replied, "Who is it, Lord, why do I believe in him?"
Jesus said to him, "You have seen him: he who speaks with you is really him."
And he said, "I believe, Lord!" And he bowed down to him.
Then Jesus said, "I have come to this world to judge, so that those who do not see will see and those who see will become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, "Are we also blind?"
Jesus answered them: «If you were blind, you would have no sin; but as you say: We see, your sin remains. "

St. Gregory of Narek (ca 944-ca 1010)
Armenian monk and poet

The prayer book, n ° 40; SC 78, 237
"He washed and came back to see us"
Almighty God, Benefactor, Creator of the universe,
listen to my moans as they are in danger.
Free me from fear and anguish;
release me with your mighty strength, you who can do everything. (...)

Lord Christ, break the net that binds me with the sword of your victorious cross, the weapon of life.
Everywhere that net girds me, prisoner, to make me perish; lead my unsteady and distorted steps.
Heal the fever of my suffocating heart.

I am guilty towards you, remove the disturbance from me, the fruit of diabolical intervention,
make the darkness of my anguished soul disappear. (...)

Renew in my soul the image of light of the glory of your name, great and powerful.
Grow the glow of your grace on the beauty of my face
and on the effigy of the eyes of my spirit, because I was born from the earth (Gen 2,7).

Correct in me, restore more faithfully, the image that reflects your image (Gen 1,26:XNUMX).
With luminous purity, make my darkness disappear, I am a sinner.
Invade my soul with your divine, living, eternal, heavenly light,
for the likeness to God Trinity to grow in me.

You alone, O Christ, are blessed with the Father
for the praise of your Holy Spirit
forever and ever. Amen.