4th.Sunday of Lent (Year B). March 10, 2024
2Chron. 36:14-16,19-23; Eph. 2:4-10; Jn.3:14-21.
“…God so Loved the World That He Gave Us His Only Son…”
Do you know the healing power of Christ's redeeming love and victory which he won for us on the cross? When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, he prophesied that his death on the cross would bring healing and forgiveness and a "new birth in the Spirit" (John 3:3) and eternal life (John 3:15). Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the "Son of Man" must be "lifted up" to bring the power and authority of God's kingdom to bear on the earth.
Life Message: This passage tells us of the great breadth and width of God's love. Not an excluding love for just a few or for a single nation, but a redemptive love that embraces the whole world, and a personal love for each and every individual whom God has created. God is a loving Father who cannot rest until his wandering children have returned home to him. Saint Augustine says, God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love. That’s why St. Paul tells us today, as he tells the Ephesians: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” God gives us the freedom to choose whom and what we will love. By this I mean that we do not earn salvation but seek it in faith. And as seekers, we will be transformed into the image of God, if we open our hearts and model our lives to the heart and life of Jesus our Savior.
Conclusion: Today, Jesus shows us the paradox of love and judgment. We can love the darkness of sin and unbelief, or we can love the light of God's truth, beauty, and goodness. If our love is guided by what is true, and good and beautiful then we will choose for God and love him above all else. What we love shows what we prefer. Do you give the Lord the first place in your life, in your thoughts, decisions and actions? Let’s therefore heed St. Paul’s advice: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about these things…”(Phil.4:8).
Commenti