In Advent and Lent, the priest normally wears purple vestments, but may wear pink or rose on this particular Sunday. Pink or rose is a lighter colour of purple which might symbolize lightness, among other symbols or reasons for the pink on this Sunday.
The readings for this Sunday remind us that outward appearances are not always what they appear to be. The prophet Samuel has grown to hear the voice of God within and has been able to distinguish it from his own, as he learns not to look at the superficial. St Paul tells us that we need to expose the shameful things people do in the darkness or in secret and bring them to light, reminding us to bring our own secrets to light. In the gospel, Jesus opens the eyes of a man who was born blind, and both were reprimanded by the officials, the religious leaders of that day, who only saw what was on the surface because this man could now see. They judged Jesus and the healed man as unworthy, as sinners.
As we continue our Lenten journey, let us challenge ourselves to bring light into the deeper crevices of our hearts. What secrets do we carry that bring us down, etc? Perhaps this Lent can be a time to bring all our hidden dark secrets to God who is light, by going to confession or talking to a trusted person who can help work through these issues. It is the secrets we carry that make us unwell and unhealthy. Lent is a time for healing and letting go, when the darkness in our lives is brought to light before God.
Easter and the resurrection of Jesus is a time of great light. The secret of the unseen reality of Jesus as Son of God came to light, and his identity was revealed. Jesus died and rose again, ascended into what we call heaven, which for Anishnabek is a spiritual realm where we all belong and will one day return. Our whole life is a Lenten journey and we highlight this during the forty days before Easter, almost like re-enacting the forty days of Jesus’ fast, because as Christians we continue the life of Jesus in this realm of life. We too await our resurrection and ascension with Jesus in our own time.
If the priest is wearing pink, a lighter color of purple, be reminded that Lent is a time of walking into the light.
– Sr. Terry Beaudry
