Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A)
First Reading - 1 Samuel 16.1b,4-7,10-13a
A reading from the first book of Samuel.
The Lord sent Samuel
to the home of Jesse, in Bethlehem,
saying, ‘I have chosen, for myself, a king,
amongst the sons of Jesse.’
In Bethlehem, Samuel invited
Jesse and his sons, and all the elders of the city,
to meet with him, in peace,
and make a sacrifice to the Lord.
Once they had gathered, Samuel first saw
Jesse’s eldest son, Eliab.
Samuel thought that Eliab
would surely be the Lord’s anointed.
But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not
look upon his height, or his appearance,
for I have rejected him.
Mortals may look
on the outward appearance,
but the Lord
looks on the heart.’
Jesse presented six more of his sons
to Samuel.
But Samuel said, ‘Are all
your sons here?
For the Lord has not chosen
any of these.’
Jesse replied, ‘There remains only the youngest,
and he is out, watching over the sheep.’
Samuel said, ‘Send for him;
and we will not eat
until he arrives.’
When the youngest son arrived,
the Lord immediately said to Samuel,
‘Rise, and anoint him, for he is the one.’
Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed David
in the presence of his brothers.
And the Spirit of the Lord
came powerfully
upon David
from that day forward.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Ephesians 5.8-11
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
Once, you were in darkness;
but now, you are in the light
of the Lord.
So live
as children of the light,
in the fruitful ways
of goodness, righteousness, and truth,
seeking always
what is pleasing
to the Lord.
And take no part
in the fruitless works of darkness;
but expose them, instead, to the light.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - John 9.1-7,14,16-17,33-39
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
After leaving the temple,
Jesus and his disciples
saw a man who had been blind from birth.
The disciples asked Jesus,
‘Why was this man born blind?
Was it for his own sins,
or for the sins of his parents?’
Jesus answered, ‘Neither;
but that the works of God
could be revealed in him.
I am the light of the world,
and while it is day,
we must do the works
of the one who sent me.’
Then Jesus spat on the ground,
made mud with the saliva,
and spread the mud
on the man’s eyes,
saying to him, ‘Go and wash
in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent).
The man went,
and washed;
and came back,
able to see.
All of this happened
on the sabbath.
The Pharisees
began to argue amongst themselves.
Some insisted, ‘This Jesus
cannot be from God,
for he does not
observe the sabbath.’
But others said, ‘If he were a sinner,
he could not perform
such signs.’
The man who had been
healed of his blindness
said, ‘Surely
his good works show
that he is a prophet.’
The Pharisees said,
‘You were born in sin,
and you presume to teach us?’
And they drove him out.
Jesus found him, and said to him,
‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’
He answered, ‘Who is that, sir?
Tell me, so that I may believe.’
Jesus said, ‘You have seen him,
and you are speaking with him.’
He said, ‘Lord, I believe;’
and worshipped him.
Jesus said, ‘For judgement
I have come into the world:
to bring sight
to the blind,
and to expose the blindness
of those who think they can see.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.