Fourth Sunday of Lent –

Year A

First Reading

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

Samuel is sent to anoint David as king.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 23:1-6

The Lord is our shepherd.

Second Reading

Ephesians 5:8-14

The Ephesians are told to live as children of light.

Gospel Reading

John 9:1-41

Jesus heals the man born blind and reveals himself to him as the Son of Man.

Background on the Gospel Reading

As we did last week, we are reading today from the Gospel of John. In today’s Gospel, the healing of the man born blind invites us to focus on the physical and spiritual aspects of sight and light. In the first part of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ response to a prevalent belief of his time: that misfortune and disability were the result of sin. That belief is why Jesus is asked the question of whose sin caused the man’s blindness—his own or his parents’. Jesus does not answer directly, but instead gives the question an entirely different dimension—through this man’s disability, God’s power will be made manifest. Jesus then heals the man.

The healing is controversial because Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, the religious authorities of Jesus’ time, understood that the law of Moses forbade work (including healing) on the Sabbath. They also have trouble believing that Jesus performed a miracle. To determine whether the man was really born blind, the Pharisees question him and his parents. The man challenges the leaders of the synagogue about their assessment of the good that Jesus has done. In turn, they expel the man for questioning their judgment.

The final revelation and moment of enlightenment comes when the man born blind encounters Jesus again. Having heard the news of his expulsion, Jesus seeks out the man born blind and reveals himself to him as the Son of Man. In this moment, the man born blind shows himself to be a man of faith and worships Jesus. Jesus replies by identifying the irony of the experience of many who encounter Jesus: Those who are blind will now see, and those who think they now see will be found to be blind.

As in last week’s Gospel about Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, today’s reading has many allusions to Baptism. The washing of the man in the pool of Siloam is a prototype for Christian Baptism. Through the man’s encounter with Jesus, the man born blind is healed, his sight is restored, and his conversion to discipleship begins. The man born blind gradually comes to a greater understanding about who Jesus is and what it means to be his disciple, while the Pharisees (those who should see) are the ones who remain blind.



Example of Taizé Prayer



This is a recording of one of the chants that we will use during our candlelit prayer around the cross this week. Come and join us for this hour of reflective prayer.

Altar Society Easter Boutique



The ladies of the Altar Society will be on the church patio this weekend selling tickets for their raffle baskets to be given away at their Easter Boutique the weekend of March 21st and 22nd. Once again, we have a Padre Basket with 4 Field Level Tickets to a Padre Game donated by Bill & Cathy Scripps. We also have a basket with 2 restaurant gift cards, Vigilucci's for $150.00 and Nick's on State Street for $150.00. Look for our table on the church patio after Mass to purchase your tickets.

It's Pancake Time! 



Carlsbad Troop 748 is celebrating Easter with the entire community again this year as we host our 68th annual Easter Sunday pancake breakfast. The breakfast will be held at the Carlsbad Senior Center on April 5 from 7:30 am-12:30 pm. We're returning with our traditional menu of pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and of course your cup of morning coffee, tea, or milk. Advance tickets are $10 (just $12 at the door) and as always, the proceeds will help send our Scouts to summer camp and a variety of other activities throughout the year! 

We will be on the church patio at all Masses on the weekends of March 21-22 and March 28-29. We thank you for your support. If you need your tickets delivered to your door or want more information on joining the troop, please contact Scoutmaster Bob Dixon at 760-712-6395.

The Knights of Columbus will be collecting items for the Annual Lenten Food Drive to benefit St. Patrick Parish Food Bank.

Please help, as the food drive ends March 22. The main donation station will be located by the front door of the Parish Hall, look for the Knights of Columbus pop up tent. Knights will be there to accept your donations of non-perishable food items (except for glass containers) along with cash/checks, before and after each Mass.

Checks should be made to Knights of Columbus with a memo note that it is for the food drive

Below is a list of most requested items. As always, ANY donation is appreciated.

* Disposable diapers sizes 4 and 5

* Baby wipes

* Non-perishable canned foods

* Packaged rice and beans  

* Trail Mix

* Yogurt cups (unrefrigerated)

* Fruit cups

* Juice boxes

* Mini- raisin boxes

* Bottled water     

Cardinal McElroy Questions the Morality of the War Against Iran



Cardinal Robert McElroy, our former bishop, has a unique perspective on morality in the public arena. Among his academic degrees, he has both a doctorate in moral theology as well as a doctorate in political science. He brings those two areas of expertise together as he examines the moral uncertainty of the U.S. participation in the war in Iran. This interview appeared in the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

IV Domingo de Cuaresma

Notas Pastorales

El Cuarto Domingo de Cuaresma, llamado tradicionalmente Domingo Laetare, nos invita a la alegría en medio del camino penitencial. La razón de esta alegría es simple pero profunda: la luz de Cristo ya empieza a iluminar nuestras sombras. El Evangelio de hoy, el relato del ciego de nacimiento, nos presenta un viaje de paso de la oscuridad a la luz, no solo físico, sino profundamente espiritual.

Al inicio del relato, encontramos a un hombre que no puede ver, pero cuyo corazón está disponible para recibir. En cambio, quienes lo rodean —vecinos, fariseos, autoridades religiosas— poseen la vista corporal, pero permanecen espiritualmente cerrados. Los discípulos preguntan quién pecó, buscando culpables. Jesús responde revelando el corazón del Padre: no se trata de encontrar responsables, sino de manifestar la obra de Dios en la fragilidad humana.

¡Cuántas veces actuamos igual! Vemos las apariencias, emitimos juicios rápidos, creemos entenderlo todo… y sin embargo seguimos ciegos a lo esencial, necesitados de la luz del Señor. La curación del ciego es una invitación a dejar que Cristo toque nuestras sombras más profundas.

El proceso interior del hombre curado es hermoso. Primero habla de Jesús como “ese hombre”. Luego, al ser interrogado, lo llama “profeta”. Después, expulsado por testimoniar la verdad, se encuentra de nuevo con Jesús, quien lo conduce a una confesión plena de fe: “Creo, Señor”. Y se postra ante Él. La luz exterior lo condujo hacia la luz interior; la sanación del cuerpo abrió el camino para la sanación del alma.

Mientras tanto, los fariseos, seguros de su propia justicia, se van volviendo cada vez más ciegos. El problema no era la falta de información, sino la falta de apertura. La verdadera ceguera nace cuando el corazón se resiste a la conversión. Jesús les dice: “Si fueran ciegos, no tendrían pecado; pero como dicen ‘vemos’, su pecado permanece”. Es una advertencia amorosa, pero clara: el orgullo puede impedirnos recibir la gracia.



En este punto de la Cuaresma, la Iglesia nos invita a preguntarnos:

¿Qué zonas de mi vida necesitan la luz de Cristo?

¿Alguna herida, resentimiento, prejuicio o miedo?

¿Estoy dispuesto a dejar que Jesús coloque su “barro” en mis ojos, es decir, que use incluso las situaciones incómodas para sanarme?

Hoy la liturgia nos regala una de las oraciones más humildes y poderosas:

“Señor, que vea.”

Que esta súplica nos acompañe mientras avanzamos hacia la Pascua, confiando en que Cristo, Luz del mundo, seguirá abriendo nuestros ojos una y otra vez.

P. George G. Pérez, CJM

3821 Adams Street

Carlsbad, California 92008

760.729.2866