(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.
