WHEN FAITH SEEMS TO FADE

JOHN 9:1–41 — FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A

The Gospel today begins with a question that many people still ask in different ways. When the disciples see the man born blind, they ask Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” In other words, they are asking: Whose fault is this? Who is to blame?

It is a very human question. When something goes wrong, we instinctively look for someone responsible. We want an explanation. We want to know why. And many parents quietly ask a similar question today.

Over the years, I have heard parents share something very painful: “Father, we raised our children in the faith. We brought them to Mass... We taught them to pray... But now they are no longer practicing… What did we do wrong?”

You can hear the sadness in their voices… You can see the worry in their hearts… And to those parents, today’s Gospel speaks very gently.

Jesus answers the disciples’ question in a surprising way. He says: “Neither he nor his parents sinned.” Here, Jesus refuses the blame. He does not point a finger at the parents… He does not accuse the man… Instead, He shifts the whole question. Rather than looking backward to assign guilt, Jesus looks forward and says: “It is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.”

What does that mean?

It means that God is not finished with this story yet.

My dear brothers and sisters, faith is not something we can force into another person’s heart. Even God Himself does not force faith. Every human person has freedom. Sometimes children step away. Sometimes they question, wander, or search in their own way. But that does not mean the seeds planted by parents were wasted.

Think about a farmer planting seed. They do not grow overnight. Sometimes they lie hidden for a long time before new life appears. Faith often works the same way.

A child may step away from the Church for years. Yet in moments of difficulty, illness, or searching, memories of faith - the prayers they learned, the example they saw, the love they experienced. - often return… Those seeds remain.

Many people who return to faith later in life say: “I remembered my mother praying.”… “I remembered my father taking us to church.”… Yes — the seeds were always there.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, if you are a parent carrying that quiet sadness in your heart, today Jesus speaks a word of hope to you: stop blaming yourself.

And here is something I want you to hear slowly: You may feel like your work is done, but if your heart is still praying for your child today, your faith is still working in their life. Sometimes the most powerful sermon is not in words, but in a life that quietly trusts God.

Your love was not wasted. Your example still speaks. And your prayers still matter. The story of your child’s faith is not finished yet.

The man born blind did not receive his sight immediately. Jesus sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam. Step by step, light entered his life. God often works the same way in our families — slowly, …gently,… patiently.

So today, instead of asking, “What went wrong?”, perhaps we can pray a different prayer: “Lord, continue the work you have begun.”

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, we may not yet see the full journey of our children’s hearts, but God is at work — patiently, quietly, and lovingly. Every prayer you offer, every example of faith you live, is a light God is already using. And one day, in His perfect timing, that light will bloom — in ways you may not yet imagine. Amen.

Fr. Leo