Hearing The Word

A weekly newsletter delivering context and insight into the Sunday Gospels.

March 15, 2026

Fourth Sunday of Lent

John 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.

His disciples asked him,

“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, 

that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered,

“Neither he nor his parents sinned; 

it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.

We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.

Night is coming when no one can work.

While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

When he had said this, 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.”

So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

He replied

(Continue Reading)

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Baptism and Spiritual Sight

~Deacon Joseph Boyle

Parish Deacon, Saint Mary Magdelene Catholic Church + Media, PA.

In this week’s Gospel John presents a powerful movement from blindness to sight, rich in symbolism that reaches back to the beginning of creation in Genesis. The man born blind stands as a figure of humanity itself. Like the children of our first parents, Adam and Eve, he bears the condition into which we are all born: the wounded inheritance of original sin. His blindness is not merely physical but symbolic of the spiritual darkness into which humanity fell after the first sin.

Jesus’ healing action echoes the creation account. He mixes clay with his saliva and anoints the man’s eyes, recalling the moment when God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. The Creator once again stoops to the earth, re-forming what had been wounded. Yet the healing is not complete until the man goes to wash in the Pool of Siloam, whose name means “Sent.” The washing in water unmistakably anticipates the sacramental life of the Church, especially the grace of Baptism, where the blindness of Original Sin is washed away, and new sight is given.

The Pharisees, however, represent a tragic irony. Though physically able to see, they remain spiritually blind. They question, dispute, and resist what is plainly before them—the transforming power of Jesus’ word and the sign enacted through water. Their disillusionment reveals how pride and rigidity can obscure the very light standing before them.



In this passage, Jesus also declares one of the great Johannine revelations: “I am the Light of the World.” This “I am” echoes the divine self‑revelation of God throughout salvation history, reaching back to Genesis, where God brings light out of darkness. The healed man, interestingly, echoes this language when questioned about his identity—simply responding, “I am.”


Through Baptism, we too are washed, enlightened, and sent. For those who truly believe can see and should shine that light of faith to others, showing them the heart of Christ.

When the Noise Falls Away

~Annonymous

Today's Gospel leaves me feeling like I’ve stumbled on the comments section of an unpopular online post: here is every thought that could be thought, every argument that could be made, every insult, skepticism, retort, comeback – it's all there, and it all seems like noise.

Evidently, even in Jesus’ time, everybody had an opinion and a personal take on events, too – on what should have happened, who was at fault and who was innocent. Was the blind man worthy enough of a miracle? What laws were applicable here, exactly? Who was honoring the law and who was not? Yada, yada…

But suddenly, in the middle of the noise, is the clear and simple truth – a miracle: “One thing I do know: I was blind and now I see.”

Since human nature now is not so different from in Jesus's time, perhaps each of us can relate to the story. For example, who in your world are the want-to-be-righteous Pharisees? Who are the parents too afraid to get involved? What does it mean to “see?” What exactly is it that is being seen? How is it that one person can see and another disbelieves? And what about the oddity of the circumstances – what do the spitting and the clay represent in your world?

Most important, when – in your world – despite all the noise of the comments section, have you experienced the simple truth: “One thing I do know: I was blind and now I see?”

Maybe you had a bad relationship, but now the two of you are better. Or, there was illness in the family, but now you are well. Or, you had no place to live, (or to work, or no one to marry) but now you’re ok. Or you were desperate but now you’re at peace. Today, as we celebrate the cure and subsequent faith of the blind man, we’re grateful that Jesus has helped us, too, to see and believe.