Please read the passage before the commentary.
I learned a new word this past week. I have always considered anointing something done with oil. However, I
learned that essentially it means to smear.
When Jesus smeared the clay on the blind person’s eyes he was anointing the eyes with the clay. The person in the gospel even said that Jesus anointed his eyes with the clay. I found this interesting and refreshing. In the first reading The Lord told Samuel to anoint David with oil to make him king.
With Samuel’s anointing, David became the anointed of the Lord. With Jesus’ anointing of the blind person, the blind person became an anointed of the Lord. Both David and the blind shared in the office of Jesus as Christ. The word Christ means the Anointed one.
So much for David and the person born blind. There is more, however. We have been anointed with the waters of baptism. We are, therefore, made into Christ by baptism. We are anointed as much as David and the blind person were anointed. We share the kingly and priestly office of David. We share the appreciation of the blind person about who this Jesus is.
Those who are looking forward to baptism at the Easter Vigil are looking forward to this anointing in the waters of
baptism and this sharing in the life and work of Jesus. It will
be a great joy to them to be anointed as was David and as was
the person born blind. It will a great responsibility for them likewise to receive the power of the Holy Spirit for living faithfully the anointing they will be receiving.
This Lent we have the privilege and responsibility to help those receiving baptism to live their consecration to Christ
received by them through the Holy Spirit. We also have the privilege and responsibility of living our own consecration to Christ in the waters of baptism. In this way we can come to the Easter festivities with hearts and minds renewed.
God has smeared us with his grace and life, with the oil of gladness and the waters of baptism. We are no longer blind, but we can see since Christ has opened us up for insight by his anointing.