Here are some of the themes in the Mass readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent.

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

• The Lord sends Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem to anoint one of his sons as the new king.
• The Lord then tells Samuel that, “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.”
• Samuel will eventually anoint the youngest of Jesse’s sons, David.

Psalm – 23:1-6

• “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
• The Lord guides through the dark valley and protects us, anointing us with oil and blessing us.

2nd Reading – Ephesians 5:8-14

• Once we were in darkness, but now we live as children in the light of the Lord.
• We expose whatever is shameful to the light of Christ.

Gospel – John 9:1-41

• Jesus encounters a blind man and heals him on the sabbath.
• Christ proclaims that he is the light of the world, healing both body and soul.
• Cured of his blindness, the man comes to believe in Jesus.

Mass Readings – 4th Sunday of Lent (#31)

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