(Fourth Sunday of Lent (A): This homily was given on March 14, 1999 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read John 9: 1-41.)

"God's greatest work in the life of the man born blind."

After suffering for many years, the blind man in today's Gospel story experienced a miraculous healing--courtesy of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The following 3 women all suffered like the blind man did; but unlike him they did not have their trials and sufferings taken away. And yet, in one very important respect, their stories are similar to his.

The first woman was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago and underwent major surgery. She received follow-up treatment for the disease, but it eventually returned and spread throughout her body. And yet, through it all, she kept her positive outlook and remained strong in faith. In fact, on her deathbed she told her son that God was in control. In the midst of a situation which seemed completely "out of control," she had an unwavering trust in God and a profound awareness of his presence.

The second woman is a resident of nearby Westerly Nursing Home. She's been there for over 10 years. I know that because she was present the very first time I said Mass there, and I've been doing that for a little more than a decade. Unlike many of the other residents, this particular woman is mentally alert. She knows what's going on; she understands the severity of her condition quite well. Now you might think that she would be angry (or at least a little bit resentful) at having suffered in this way for so long, but amazingly she's not. In fact, she's one of the most joyful people I've ever met! And it's always been quite clear to me that her joy is rooted in her deep faith: she loves the Lord, and she loves the sacraments--especially the Eucharist. Normally when she receives Communion she has her arms outstretched as if to embrace her Lord, and she has a radiant, peaceful look on her face. To be perfectly frank, it's a privilege for me to bring her the Blessed Sacrament each month.

The third woman many years ago saw a dying man lying in the street. With compassion in her heart, she picked him up and cared for him until he went home to the Lord. Then she picked up another person, and another, and another. In fact, she spent the rest of her life caring for the dying poor in her own country and throughout the world.

Just for your information: the first woman was my mother; the second woman was Helen Brophy, whom some of you may know; and the third was Mother Teresa of Calcutta: three individuals who faced trials that were ongoing. So--how are their stories similar to the blind man's--since he did have his suffering alleviated?

The answer is: In each situation, God was at work in a powerful way. Now in the story of the man born blind, that's probably very easy to see: God worked powerfully by healing the man and restoring his sight. Clear enough. In those other 3 situations, however, the "works of God" are probably not so clear; since, in each case, the suffering of the person was not removed. Here we are reminded of an important truth: suffering does not prevent God from working powerfully in our lives. In fact, suffering can actually be the occasion for God's most powerful works. My mother's ability to trust and be peaceful in the midst of a horrible disease was a great work of God; Helen Brophy's ability to be joyful and peaceful in the midst of her chronic, debilitating condition is a great work of God; Mother Teresa's ability to care for the sick and dying with such sacrificial love for so many years was also a great work of the Lord.

I think it's safe to say that we are normally much more impressed with the EXTERNAl, extraordinary works of God: healings like the one the blind man experienced; miracles; spectacular events like the miracle of the sun at Fatima. But in actuality the greatest works of God are the internal works of his grace in our lives: the inner conversion of heart that leads a person to go to Confession; the gift of perseverance which gives someone like Helen Brophy the ability to carry her daily Cross with joy; the grace that gives a person the power to forgive after they've been deeply hurt. These are actually greater works of God because their effects can last into eternity! In today's Gospel it says: "[The disciples of Jesus] asked him, "Rabbi, was it [this man's] sin or his parents' that caused him to be born blind?" Neither, answered Jesus: It was no sin, either of this man or of his parents. Rather, it was to let God's works show forth in him." Now that raises the question: What was the greatest work of God that occurred in the blind man's life? Was it his physical healing? No--it was the birth of faith in his heart! After Jesus healed him, St. John tells us that the man was thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus then sought him out and said to him, "'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' He answered, 'Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?'" Jesus responded, "You have seen him . . . he is speaking to you now." The healed man said, "'I do believe, Lord," and he immediately bowed down to worship Jesus. Now THERE was the greatest miracle of the day; THERE was the most important work that God accomplished in this man's life! I say that because the external work of God that the man had experienced earlier (the regaining of his physical sight) would not prevent him from physically dying someday; but the internal work of God that he experienced (the birth of faith in Jesus): that was a work which had the potential to bring this man eternal life. Therefore it was much greater; it was much more important.

Is it good to pray for miracles? Is it good to pray for physical healings like the one this man experienced? You bet it is! (I do all the time!) But even if God says "No" to every one of these requests, we can still experience his powerful works. And that can happen every day, even in the midst of illness and suffering; even in the midst of temptation and sin. If, for example, we struggle against a temptation and overcome it, that's clearly a great work of God's grace within us. And what if we don't overcome the temptation? What if we end up committing a horrible sin? Is all hope lost? No way. Even then we can allow the Lord to perform a great work in us--by simply repenting and going to Confession.

Both St. Paul and Cardinal Newman said it well. They understood that God was ready and willing and able to work in every single circumstance of their lives. And so, in Philippians 1, St. Paul said, "Christ will be exalted through me whether I live or die." And in his well-known meditation Cardinal Newman wrote, "If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve [the Lord]; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about."