4th Sunday of Lent 2026: March 15

Our Lenten journey continues with a celebration of light breaking through darkness. Today, on the 4th Sunday of Lent 2026, Fr. Buterbaugh leads us in Mass as we reflect on the powerful story of the man born blind who receives his sight from Jesus, the light of the world. God chooses David, the youngest son of Jesse, to be king, reminding us that the Lord does not judge by outward appearance but looks at the heart.

Join us for worship as we explore what it means to transition from darkness to light, from blindness to sight, and from death to life.

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The Collect for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2026

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2026

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Psalm 23

The Epistle: Ephesians 5:8-14

8 For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

The Gospel: John 9:1-41

1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

Reflection on the Readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2026

Join us as we celebrate the light of Christ!

Old Testament – 1 Samuel 16:1-13

God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse. When Samuel first sees Eliab, who is tall and impressive, he assumes that this must be God’s chosen one. However, God corrects him with a timeless truth: “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Samuel goes through seven of Jesse’s sons, and each time God tells him no. Finally, Samuel asks if there are any more sons. Jesse mentions the youngest, David, who is out tending to the sheep, so insignificant that he wasn’t even invited to the sacrifice. When David arrives, God immediately tells Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” From that day forward, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David mightily. God’s choice surprises everyone, selecting the overlooked shepherd boy to become Israel’s greatest king.

Psalm 23

This cherished psalm, attributed to David, the shepherd-king, portrays God as the Good Shepherd who provides, guides, protects, and sustains us. The Lord leads us to lie down in green pastures and beside still waters, reviving our souls. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear, for God is with us. His rod and staff bring us comfort. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, anoints our heads with oil, and fills our cups to overflowing. Goodness and mercy shall follow us all our days, and we will dwell in the Lord’s house forever. On this Sunday, when we reflect on David’s anointing, this psalm serves as a reminder that the shepherd boy understood what it meant to be guided by God.

Epistle – Ephesians 5:8-14

Paul contrasts our former state with our present identity in Christ. Once, we were not just in darkness; we were darkness itself. Now, in the Lord, we have become light. This transformation is not merely a change of circumstances; it reflects a change in our very nature. As children of light, we are called to live in a way that reflects this identity, producing the fruits of light that are characterized by goodness, righteousness, and truth.

We are to discern what pleases the Lord and avoid participation in the unfruitful works of darkness. Instead, we should expose these works, for whatever is illuminated by the light becomes visible and is transformed into light. Paul concludes with what may be an early Christian hymn: “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” This serves as a call to spiritual awakening and to a resurrected life illuminated by Christ.

Gospel – John 9:1-41

This dramatic narrative begins with a theological question: whose sin caused this man’s blindness? Jesus rejects this premise, stating that neither the man nor his parents has sinned. Rather, he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. Jesus declares himself the light of the world and heals the man by making mud with his saliva, anointing the man’s eyes, and sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man obeys and receives his sight.

What follows is an escalating controversy. Neighbors can hardly believe this is the same man. The Pharisees interrogate him, divided over whether Jesus can be from God since he healed on the Sabbath. They summon his parents, who confirm his identity but refuse to say more out of fear. When called again, the formerly blind man grows bolder in his testimony, highlighting the absurdity that religious leaders do not know where Jesus comes from, yet he performed the unprecedented act of opening blind eyes. His simple yet powerful statement stands: “One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”Driven out by the religious authorities, he is found by Jesus and comes to full faith, worshiping him as the Son of Man. Jesus concludes with an ironic statement: he came so that those who do not see may see, and those who claim to see may become blind. The Pharisees, claiming to have sight, remain in their sin.

4th Sunday of Lent 2026 Reflection Wrap-Up

The central theme of these readings centers on seeing through God’s perspective and being transformed by Christ’s light. God chooses David based on his heart rather than his outward appearance. The Good Shepherd provides perfect care for his flock. Paul urges us to live as children of light, encouraging us to awaken from spiritual slumber. The man born blind exemplifies a journey of growing faith—from knowing nothing about Jesus to recognizing him as a prophet and ultimately worshiping him as Lord. His physical healing reflects his spiritual enlightenment, while the Pharisees, who claim to see, remain in darkness.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we are challenged to reflect on our own vision. Do we see as God sees, focusing on the heart rather than outward appearances? Have we fully awakened to the light of Christ? Can we truthfully say, alongside the formerly blind man, “One thing I do know: though I was blind, now I see”? Christ, the light of the world, calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light, transforming us into children of light who produce fruit in all that is good, right, and true.