4th Sunday of Lent
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
In the first reading, this book reviews the history of the kingdom of Judah from a brighter perspective, accenting the spiritual achievements of kings and leaders. Yet even this positive view could not ignore the fact that the kingdom fell, and its people were taken into exile. This final chapter explains why things turned out so badly.
The context for today’s Gospel has Jesus explaining to Nicodemus the necessity of a new birth from above. Needless to say, Nicodemus cannot grasp what Jesus is saying. Hopefully, the reader will be able to understand what Nicodemus only finds confusing.
The serpent lifted up in the desert. Part of Jesus’ instruction to Nicodemus makes reference to an event involving Moses and a bronze serpent (Num 21:8–9). The people were being bitten by serpents and dying from their injuries. Moses instructed that a bronze serpent be mounted on a pole and lifted up for the people to see. Those who looked at it recovered. This event is used to explain the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. These are all understood to be one continuous event. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross at his crucifixion, the son of man is at that very same moment being exalted by God. Jesus’ being lifted up on the cross makes eternal life possible for those who believe.
God so loved the world. John 3:16 is certainly one of the most popular verses of the entire New Testament. It is a concise summary of the saving action initiated by God and accomplished by Jesus. So great was God’s love for the world, that God “gave” his only Son that all who believe in him have access to eternal life. The verb “gave” is unique here. The usual word is “sent.” The “world” refers to those human beings who are at odds with Jesus and God. “Eternal life” describes life lived in the unending presence of God.
The necessity of faith. God is not interested in condemning the world. Therefore, God has provided everything possible to save the world because of God’s great love. Still, people must make their own choices. Those who believe in Jesus will not be condemned. Those who fail to believe in Jesus have already condemned themselves by their lack of faith. In the prologue to this Gospel, the author made it clear that the “light” came into the world but that people chose “darkness.” Jesus is the light of the world and all who believe in him choose both light and life. From the very beginning, many people have chosen darkness to light. Still, God has not given up on the world. That is why God gave the world God’s very own Son.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org.©2018. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius