León XIV invited this Sunday to live a faith that is neither blind nor indifferent to the suffering of the world, but capable of opening the eyes to the truth, to the light of Christ, and to the wounds of humanity. During the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the Pontiff reflected on the Gospel of the healing of the man born blind, proclaimed on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
In his meditation, León XIV recalled that Christian faith is not a “leap in the darkness”, but an experience that illuminates the intelligence and the heart, allowing one to look at reality with the eyes of Christ. The Pope emphasized that believers are called to live a Christianity “with eyes open”, attentive to the injustices, violence, and suffering present in the world, and committed to peace, justice, and solidarity.
We leave below the complete message from León XIV:
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
The Gospel of this fourth Sunday of Lent recounts the healing of a man blind from birth (cf. Jn 9,1-41). Through the symbolism of this episode, the evangelist John speaks to us of the mystery of salvation: while we were in darkness, while humanity walked in the shadows (cf. Is 9,1), God sent his Son as the light of the world, to open the eyes of the blind and illuminate our life.
The prophets had announced that the Messiah would open the eyes of the blind (cf. Is 29,18; 35,5; Sal 146,8). Jesus himself accredits his mission by showing that “the blind see” (Mt 11,4); and he presents himself saying: “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8,12). Indeed, we can say that we are all “blind from birth”, because alone we cannot see deeply into the mystery of life. That is why God became flesh in Jesus, so that the clay of our humanity, kneaded with the breath of his grace, could receive a new light, which makes us capable of finally seeing God, others, and ourselves in truth.
It is striking that for centuries the opinion has spread, still present today, according to which faith would be a kind of “leap in the darkness”, a renunciation of thinking, so that having faith would mean believing “blindly”. The Gospel, on the other hand, tells us that in contact with Christ the eyes open, to the point that the religious authorities insistently ask the healed blind man: “How were your eyes opened?” (Jn 9,10); and also: “How did he open your eyes?” (v. 26).
Brothers and sisters, we too, healed by the love of Christ, are called to live a Christianity “with eyes open”. Faith is not a blind act, a renunciation of reason, a disposition of certain religious conviction that leads us to avert our gaze from the world. On the contrary, faith helps us to look “from the point of view of Jesus, with his eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing” (Encyclical Letter Lumen fidei, 18) and, for that reason, it asks us to “open our eyes”, as he did, especially to the sufferings of others and to the wounds of the world.
Today, in particular, in the face of the many questions of the human heart and the dramatic situations of injustice, violence, and suffering that mark our time, a vigilant, attentive, and prophetic faith is necessary, which opens the eyes to the darknesses of the world and brings the light of the Gospel there through a commitment to peace, justice, and solidarity.
Let us ask the Virgin Mary to intercede for us, so that the light of Christ may open the eyes of our heart and we may bear witness to him with simplicity and courage.