In today's Gospel we learn about how Jesus heals a blind man at the pool of Siloam, and how the Pharisees opposed this act since it was during the Sabbath. Through this story we learn about how people who think they can sometimes be the blind ones spiritually.
Father in Heaven we praise and glorify you. We thank you for bringing us together today for this lesson about Jesus and the blind man. Please send us the Holy Spirit so we can understand the message you have for us today. Help open our eyes spiritually so that we can recognize your love and be a witness of your love to others. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.So he went and washed, and came back able to see.
His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is, “but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.”
They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said,“ This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Source: Catholic Kids Media. (2023, Mar 15). Jesus and the Man Born Blind! Lent 4A [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Ask the children to close their eyes for a few minutes. Invite them to notice how their experience of the room changes when they can’t see their surroundings. Invite volunteers to describe the experience.
Say: Now imagine that you have never experienced sight. What if you have never experienced light or colors so that you can’t recreate an experience with them in your mind? Invite a sample of responses.
Say: Today’s Gospel tells the story of how Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. As we listen to this Gospel, imagine what life might have been like for this man. Think about how much he must have appreciated the gift that Jesus gave him.
Ask: What did people think about the healing? (Some could not believe it. Others wanted to know where Jesus was. Some thought Jesus was a sinner.) What did Jesus say to the man born blind when he meets him again? (Jesus reveals himself as the Son of Man, the Messiah.)
Say: It was truly a great gift when Jesus healed the man’s blindness, but it was an even greater gift when Jesus revealed himself as the Son of Man, the Messiah. And the man received that second gift as willingly as he accepted the first one. He became a believer and worshiped Jesus.
Say: In Baptism, Jesus reveals himself to us, and we’re called to be like the man in today’s Gospel, accepting the gift from Jesus so that we may truly see Jesus as our Lord and worship him.
Father in Heaven we thank you for giving us the story about Jesus and the blind man. Please bless us and help us to go forth into the world, like the blind man, seeing for the first time and appreciating the gifts and talents you have given us and sharing our gifts with others so they can see your glory too. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
