The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. — Psalm 23:1

Mass readings: 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13 / Ephesians 5:8-14 / John 9:1-41 or 9:1,6-9,13-17,34-38 

On the Hot Seat 

It’s easy to imagine the parents in the longer version of today’s Gospel managed to live their lives avoiding authority’s attention but . . . here they were. And why? Because of Jesus. He had cured their adult son’s blindness and the powers-that-be wanted an explanation. 

Many years ago I ran a retreat program for teens and one of the talks I liked to give I (tongue-in-cheek) titled “I Let Jesus into My Life and He Really Messed Things Up.” Truly living as Christ’s follower means there will be times when we’re put in the spotlight, on the hot seat, by family, friends, coworkers or neighbors. They want to know what we believe and, in a particular instance, why we aren’t living that belief. 

Prayer: Lord, help me live what I claim to believe.