The Importance of Knowing the WHOLE Truth About Sin and Suffering

(Fourth Sunday of Lent (A): This homily was given on March 15, 2026 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read John 9:1-41.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Fourth Sunday of Lent 2026]

One day not long ago five blind men went to the zoo, in order to find out what an elephant was.  They had heard quite a bit about this magnificent animal, but, of course, they had never been able to verify these things with their own eyes.  When they arrived at the zoo, they spoke to the zookeeper and told him why they were there.  The zookeeper said, “Gentlemen you’re in luck.  Here in our zoo we have one of the kindest, most gentle elephants in the entire world.  People can go right up to this elephant, touch and pet him, and he doesn’t mind in the least.  He loves it.  So what I’ll do is take you to his cage and let you all inside.  Then you’ll be able to use your sense of touch to discover exactly what an elephant is like.” 

So they all went off, happily, to where the elephant was.  Well, it was quite a scene, these five men, set loose in this cage, all groping around for this huge animal.  Finally the first one walked into one of the elephant’s massive legs.  He grabbed hold of it, and he exclaimed, “Ah yes, now I know what an elephant is like.  An elephant is like the trunk of a tree.” 

At that point the second blind man came to the animal’s trunk.  He felt it for a moment, and then said to his friend, “No, you’re wrong, an elephant isn’t like the trunk of a tree, an elephant is like a large snake.” 

The third one then grabbed hold of the tail.  He said, “You’re both wrong.  An elephant is like a rope.” 

The fourth took hold of one of the elephant’s big, floppy ears, and he said, “My dear friends how can you say these things?  It’s clear to me, an elephant is like a large sting ray—the kind that swims the seven seas.” 

Last but not least, the fifth blind man touched one of the animal’s curved, ivory tusks and he said to the others, “Your sense of touch betrays you all.  An elephant isn’t like a tree trunk or a snake or a rope or a sting ray, an elephant is like a huge boomerang that no human being could possibly throw.”

At that point, the zookeeper came back to the cage, to take the five blind men out.  But that didn’t end the discussion.  They left the cage and left the zoo arguing with one another, each maintaining that he was right and that the others were wrong; each claiming that he, and only he, really knew what an elephant was.

My brothers and sisters, the interesting thing about that story is this: each of these men was right, in the sense that each of these men did perceive one aspect of the truth about elephants.  But one aspect of the truth is not the whole truth!  And that’s what they didn’t understand.  Each perceived one aspect of the truth.  But each was claiming that this one aspect was the whole truth about elephants.  And, of course, from that standpoint, each of them was wrong.

The lesson is: We must never make the mistake of thinking that one aspect of the truth is the whole truth, especially when it comes to matters of faith.  And this just happens to be one of the important lessons of today’s gospel story from John 9, the story of the healing of the man born blind.  I say that because so many of the characters in this story are also guilty of seeing only one aspect of the truth, and thinking it’s the whole truth.  For example, take the disciples. At the very beginning, they ask Jesus this question . . . They see the blind man and they say, “Rabbi, was it his sin or his parent’s sin that caused him to be born blind?” Clearly the disciples recognized one aspect of the truth: that there is a certain connection between sin and suffering.  Well, that’s true—the Scriptures teach very clearly that sickness, suffering and death came into the world as the result of the sin of Adam and Eve.  The disciples were right in believing that.  However, that’s only one aspect of the truth; it’s not the whole truth.  The disciples thought it was the whole truth, which is why they implied that there had to be a direct connection between this blind man’s suffering and his personal sin.  Jesus corrects them when he says that in this particular case, “It was no sin, either of this man or his parents, which caused him to be born blind.”  So the whole truth is: Yes, sickness came into the world because of sin, and sometimes there is a direct connection between an individual’s sin and his suffering.  For example, a teenager lies to his parents about where he’s been spending his free time.  His parents find out about it and take away some of his privileges for a month—which causes him to suffer. That suffering is a direct result of his sin: his lying and his disobedience.  A person engages in promiscuous sexual behavior and contracts an STD, which causes suffering. That suffering is a direct result of sinful activity.  But the other aspect of the truth (which the disciples didn’t understand) is that many times there is no direct connection whatsoever between a person’s pain and their sin.  I think of my mother, for example, who suffered terribly with cancer before she died.  My mom was a good, loving, holy woman.  In her case, as in the case of the blind man, the direct connection between suffering and sin was not present.

Then we come to the Pharisees.  They also make the mistake of only seeing part of the truth, and thinking it’s the entire truth.  First of all, they get upset with Jesus for curing the man on a sabbath.  They believed the sabbath was to be a day of rest.  And they were right in believing that!  Because it’s true.  But that’s just one aspect of the truth, it’s not the whole truth.  The whole truth is, “Yes, the sabbath is to be a day of rest, as God commanded.  But he gave that commandment to us so that we would honor him and then reach out to those in need, not neglect them.”

Later on the Pharisees say that they believe God spoke to Moses and hence through Moses.  That’s true.  But once again, it’s only one aspect of the truth, not the whole truth.  The whole truth is that he was also speaking to them in and through Jesus.

Even the parents of the blind man only recognize one dimension of the truth.  Yes, they admit that their son was blind and that now he sees.  But they’re not willing to recognize the fact that it’s because of his faith in Jesus that their son can now see.

I focus on this issue with you this morning because many Christians today are making the mistake of basing their religious lives on one aspect of God’s revealed truth and not on the whole truth.  For example, some Christians today will focus only on God’s love, and totally neglect his justice.  Well, it’s true, God is a loving, merciful Father.  But he is also a just judge!  It’s not either-or, it’s both-and.  Some others say, “Oh, God will forgive.”  True.  But that’s only one aspect of the truth, not the whole truth.  The whole truth is that if we want God’s forgiveness we must repent of our sins.  Some Christians today only talk about Heaven, as if Heaven is a given for everybody.  Well, it’s true, there is a Heaven, and God wants everybody without exception to go there.  And he will provide every grace we need to get there.  But that’s only one aspect of the truth, not the whole truth.  The whole truth includes the fact that there is also a hell, and it’s possible to go there, if we freely and willingly commit a mortal sin and never repent of it.

This means that today we should ask the Lord to help us to be like the blind man—not like the five foolish blind men we heard about at the beginning of this homily, but like the blind man that Jesus cured in this gospel story.  I say that because this was an individual who accepted the truth, not in part, but in full.  He makes that clear at the very end, when he explicitly accepts Jesus and bows down to worship him.   By that action of bowing and worshipping, he was saying to our Lord, “I believe in you totally and completely.  I accept everything you teach, everything you stand for, without exception.” 

May that be our attitude today and every day of our lives.

 

Remembering the Lessons of the Past in the Present Moment of Suffering Brings Hope for the Future

 

(Second Sunday of Lent (A): This homily was given on March 1, 2026 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Matthew 17:1-9.)

[For the audio version if this homily, click here: Second Sunday of Lent 2026]

As I was reflecting on today’s gospel reading in preparation for this homily, what came to mind was an experience I had in the dentist’s office about 20 years ago.

While he was in the process of “probing” the inside of my mouth that day and checking the condition of my teeth, my dentist happened to discover a filling that needed to be replaced.

He said, “Father Ray, I’d rather not see you make another appointment to get this taken care of; why don’t I do it right now?  And let’s try it without any Novocain.  But don’t worry, if the pain gets unbearable, I’ll stop and give you a shot.”

I said, “Uh . . . okay.”

So he began to remove the old filling with his little drilling instrument—you know, the one that makes that awful screeching sound—and almost immediately I felt a slight jolt of pain.  Then I felt another—and another.  In my mind I prayed, “Dear Lord, please don’t let it get any worse.  I can deal with what I’ve felt so far—but not much more.”

Well shortly thereafter, happily, the pain stopped.  He continued his drilling operation for a couple of minutes, and every 30 seconds or so he would ask, “Does that hurt at all?  Do you need some Novocain?”  Each time I answered, “No.”  (Thank God you can still say “Yes” and “No” with somebody’s hands in your mouth!)

After the tooth was re-filled he said to me, “When I questioned you during the drilling, you weren’t feeling any pain?”

I replied, “No.”

He said, “That’s amazing, because you should have been feeling something.  That filling was a lot deeper than I thought it was.”

I said, “Well, obviously the good Lord took care of me.”

He said, “That’s for sure.”

There’s a well-known meditation written by St. Francis de Sales in which the great saint says, “God will either shield you from suffering, or give you the unfailing strength to bear it.”

I’m very grateful that in the dentist’s office that day 20 years ago, the Lord did the former.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t always act in that fashion—he doesn’t always shield me from suffering—but in that particular case he did.

I take some consolation in the fact that God didn’t always shield the apostles from suffering either.  Today’s Gospel story provides us with a case in point.  The experience Peter, James and John had on Mount Tabor—the experience of seeing Jesus Christ transfigured—was given to them in view of a suffering they would experience within a few short weeks: our Lord’s crucifixion and death.  Jesus was well aware of the sadness, confusion and grief that would threaten to overwhelm these men at that time.  After all, they had left everything to follow him; they believed he was the Messiah; they had lived with him and worked with him for 3 years.  And even though he had already spoken to them about his death, he knew they would not initially understand it and what it meant for the salvation of the human race.  (That understanding would only come after Pentecost.)  So Jesus gave them a little glimpse of his divinity on that mountain—a brief revelation of his eternal glory: something they could hold onto as they struggled to cope with the terrible events of Good Friday.  Jesus didn’t shield them from that suffering, but he offered them—in the words of St. Francis de Sales—the unfailing strength to bear it.  As they watched our Lord die, they were supposed to remember the glorious Jesus whom they saw on the mountain that day, and trust that he would somehow win the final victory.  They were also to remember the 3 witnesses who testified on Jesus’ behalf during the event: Moses, Elijah, and—first and foremost—God the Father! 

This brings us to what I would call one of the practical messages of the Transfiguration: Remembering the lessons of the past in the present moment brings hope for the future.  That’s what the apostles were supposed to do, and that’s what we need to do with respect to our own trials and difficulties. 

So I ask you this morning: What has God taught you in the past through your sufferings?  Spend some time this week in prayer pondering that question. . . . What has God taught you in the past through your sufferings?  Has he taught you that he’s faithful?  Has he taught you that he always gives you the grace you need when you need it?  Has he taught you that worrying about the future when you’re in pain is a waste of time?  (He’s taught me that one on many occasions!)  Has he taught you the importance of prayer and the sacraments in dealing with suffering?  Has he taught you to offer it up?  Has he taught you that other people are very often his gifts of consolation and support in difficult times?  Has he taught you that repenting of your sins can sometimes make suffering easier to bear and even eliminate a portion of it?

What has God taught you in the past through your sufferings?  Pray about that during the next several days.  And when you do come to recognize the things the Lord has taught you through your past sufferings, I highly recommend that you write them down.  Do that as a service to yourself: so that you will be able to recall those lessons quickly the next time you experience a terrible trial in your life.  That will give you a measure of hope for the future in the midst of your present pain.

Let me conclude my homily now by quoting St. Francis de Sales’ entire meditation.  Appropriately enough, I’ll give this great saint the last word:

Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;

Rather look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely
through all things;

And when you cannot stand it, God will carry you
in His arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;

The same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow and every day.

He will either shield you from suffering or give you the
unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace and put aside all anxious thoughts and
imaginations.

 

Lent and Perseverance

 

(Ash Wednesday 2026: This homily was given on February 18, 2026 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Matthew 6:1-18.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Ash Wednesday 2026]

It happens in every Olympics, including the Olympics taking place right now in Milan, Italy.  There are certain athletes who win gold medals for the very first time.  However it’s not the first time they’ve competed for a gold medal.  These athletes have been in the Olympics before—sometimes in 2 or 3 prior Olympics—but they’ve never won.  What’s admirable about these first-time winners is that they never gave up in the midst of all their previous failures.  They kept trying; they kept coming back.  In a word, they PERSEVERED!  And that perseverance eventually brought them the prize they were seeking.

I mention this today because of all the virtues you need during the season of Lent, one of the most important is that one: PERSEVERANCE.

Lent is a time for us to draw closer to the Lord via those 3 disciplines Jesus mentions in today’s gospel: prayer (including the sacrament of confession), fasting (which includes any and all acts of self-denial), and almsgiving (which signifies special acts of charity, even something as simple as visiting the sick and elderly).

Now most people start off Lent with great ideas and great intentions in these 3 areas, and for a while (at least a few days) they do exactly what they say they’re going to do.

But then, something happens.  Perhaps they get distracted; perhaps their schedules change; perhaps they just forget—but in any event they don’t do on a given day what they had intended to do in terms of prayer, fasting and giving alms.

They break their Lenten discipline, and they’re tempted—severely tempted—to give it up for the rest of Lent.

And many do, although they shouldn’t!  What they should do (as the old song says) is “pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again.”

In other words, they should put into practice the virtue of perseverance!

Perseverance doesn’t mean that you never fall in life—those Olympic athletes I mentioned at the beginning of my homily know that quite well.  Perseverance in the spiritual dimension means that you get up immediately when you do fall and begin walking again with Jesus.

This is the key, my brothers and sisters, to a successful and fruitful Lent, and it’s also the key to a successful and fruitful Christian life.  In fact, persevering during Lent is a great way to train yourself to persevere in the Faith throughout your life.

As we all know, it’s very easy to fall into sinful habits throughout the year that hurt or destroy our relationship with the Lord.

Well common sense should tell us that the person who perseveres during Lent, by getting up immediately when he falls, is more likely to persevere when he falls at some other time of the year.

He’s more likely not to delay his repentance; he’s more likely to get to confession quickly when he needs to.

And he’s more likely to die in the state of “final perseverance”—which means “in the state of grace, and ready to begin the trip to heaven.”

Lord, help me to persevere.  Let that be out common prayer this Lent.  Try to remember to say it everyday.  In fact, let’s say it together right now: Lord, help me to persevere.

May the Lord hear that prayer and grant us this grace during the next 40 days—and beyond.

Be a Spiritual Olympian!

(Sixth Sunday of the Year (A): This homily was given on February 15, 2026 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani.  Read Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37.)

[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Sixth Sunday 2026]

 

God’s message to us today in this text from Matthew 5 (and in the other readings we just heard) can be summed up as follows: Develop an “Olympic attitude” in your spiritual life.

Or, to put it another way: Be a spiritual Olympian!

Many of us, I’m sure, have been watching the Winter Olympics in recent days, and marveling at the performances of these world-class athletes.  They make activities that are extremely difficult look incredibly easy.  But that’s not a coincidence!  They do what they do as well as they do it because they are extremely talented, and highly trained—and because they have the right attitude of mind and heart.

They each have a goal in view—a gold medal—and they pursue that goal relentlessly and with incredible focus and concentration. 

In today’s second reading from First Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us of another goal: the ultimate goal of human existence.  He says, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it even entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love him.”

That’s a glorious and inspiring description of God’s eternal kingdom.  But what’s important for us to note today is that this ultimate goal of human existence—heaven—is not forced upon us by God!  It involves a personal choice which is rooted in free will.  As the Lord reminds us in today’s first reading from Sirach 15: “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”

Which brings us to the gospel.  Jesus makes it very clear in this passage from the Sermon on the Mount that this ultimate goal of human existence can be missed if we don’t pursue it like a “spiritual Olympian”; if we don’t have an “Olympic attitude” in our spiritual life.

Now what exactly do I mean by that? 

Here I think we can take a lesson from the downhill skiers at the Olympics.  As is always the case, the downhill racecourse they competed on in Italy this year was fast and it was treacherous.  Lindsey Vonn would certainly attest to that.  She, unfortunately, didn’t make it down the mountain, but those who did hit speeds of 70 miles an hour or more, and at times flew through the air the length of a football field.  Their concentration and focus had to be constant and it had to be unwavering for them to succeed; their concentration and focus had to be constant and unwavering for them to even survive.

When you ski down a steep slope—even on a regular mountain—you have to stay forward on your skis.  Every skier knows that. If you lose your concentration and start to lean back even a little bit (which is what most people instinctively want to do in a situation like that), you’re gone.  You can be out of control in a flash.

That’s what was so amazing about these Olympic downhill skiers.  They had to have almost perfect concentration to stay forward on their skis and balanced as they flew down that mountain.

And they had to overcome their human weakness (that natural tendency we human beings have to pull back when there’s a steep drop in front of us).

If one of those skiers had let their guard down for even a millisecond, they not only would have lost their chance to win the gold medal (that’s a given)—they might even have lost their life.

And that is not an exaggeration!

This is analogous to the message Jesus is giving us in this very challenging gospel text, which is most evident in the following verses: 

• “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.  But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment . . . “
• “You have heard that is was said, You shall not commit adultery.  But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
• “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.  But I say to you do not swear at all . . . let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’”

Not coincidentally, those very challenging verses come immediately after our Lord says, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

So what is Jesus telling us?  He’s telling us that if we want to get on—and stay on—the road to eternal glory, we need to have an ‘Olympic attitude’ in our spiritual lives.  We can’t ‘let our guards down,’ so to speak, when it comes to things like anger, and impurity and dishonesty.

If we do, we could easily become like a downhill ski racer at the Olympics who gets casual about his run and gives in to the tendency to sit back on his skis.

It can mean death—not physical death, but what’s even worse: spiritual death (which, without repentance, lasts forever!).

So Jesus is saying to us today in his word, “Deal with these sins (and others like them) QUICKLY!  When you find yourself slipping into sinful anger, acknowledge it and deal with it quickly!  Deal with any impure thoughts you may have and any little white lies you may tell immediately!  Don’t ‘sit back.’  Don’t allow your weak, fallen human nature to guide you in your response to these little sins, lest they become big sins!  Repent, bring them to confession, and stay on the racecourse.”

That’s how to be a ‘spiritual Olympian’ and win the ultimate prize of life—which, by the way, is the only prize in the end that will really matter.