10 MARCH 2024
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (YEAR B)
2 Chronicles 36:14-16.19-23
Psalm 137
Eph. 2:4-10
John 3:14-21
Brethren, have we noticed that all of the great religions have a special symbol that identifies it. The symbol of Christianity is the cross. The cross speaks of the crucifixion of the one who loves us so much: a terrible form of death that the Roman Empire reserved for slaves and those considered a threat to public order, thieves and criminals. This is how Jesus, our Saviour was put to death. When we look upon the crucified Jesus, we can see what human beings are capable of doing to one another. The lifting up of Jesus on the cross exposes the evil tendencies that reside in human hearts. Yet, when we as Christians look upon the cross, we see more than just the darkness of human nature; we see more than the intended shame and humiliation. We also see our salvation, we see the brightness of God’s nature, the unconditional love of God for humanity. We see this love shining through the crucified Jesus.
God's Love for Us
In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks of himself as the Son of Man who must be lifted up for our salvation, just as Moses lifted the serpent in the desert for the children of Israel to have life. Jesus had to be lifted up on the cross; it was the price he had to pay for remaining faithful to his mission of revealing God’s love for, and light to the world. As Jesus declares in the gospel of John, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ Jesus’ death on the cross revealed his greater love for us, a love that was faithful to us, even when it meant his death. A love that is still alive till this day. The love that shone through Jesus as he hung from the cross is the love that God has for us. On the cross Jesus was showing the world that God is love. In the words of today’s gospel reading, ‘God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son....’ Jesus’ whole life, and especially his suffering and death, was a powerful expression of God’s love for the world and for each one of us personally. Jesus was God’s greatest gift of love to the world.
Today’s gospel reading goes on to say that ‘God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that through him, the world might be saved’. But there was and is so much to condemn in the world. The crucifixion of Jesus, the continued slaughter of the innocents, is a witness to the power of sin in the world. Yet, Jesus did not come among us just to condemn what was wrong in us. God sent his Son into the world to reveal a love that was more powerful than sin or evil, so that we could all be raised up by this love. God sent his Son into the world to release a power of love that would enable us to become the people God desires us to be, what today's second reading refers to as ‘God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life’. If we allow ourselves to be touched by God’s love given to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we will begin to live fully human lives and we will enter into eternal life.
Unmerited Unconditional Love of God
In the second reading, St. Paul stresses that God’s love present in Jesus is freely given to us. It does not have to be earned; it is not a reward for what we have done. Christ died for us even while we were still sinners. As Paul says, ‘it is by grace (free gift) that you have been saved, through faith… not by anything you have done’. No matter who we are or what has happened to us in life, God’s love is over us to recreate us, to lift us up from our sins, so that we can live loving lives that reflect God’s love for the world. God’s love, poured out through His Son is a gift to be received rather than a reward to be earned. Receiving this gift can be a gradual process in our lives. We see that at the Last Supper , when Jesus was washing the feet of his disciples, and it was Simon Peter's turn, Peter said, ‘You shall never wash my feet’. Peter struggled to receive Jesus’ gift of his self-sacrificing and self-emptying love. There is something about Peter in all of us. Yet, Jesus would not take no for an answer, saying to Peter, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me’. Jesus comes to us again and again insisting that we accept his love. Can we just do that for him and for us? God’s love for us present in Jesus is unconditional, and it radiates in light. But one of the greatest challenges of humanity is the acceptance of this Love, Light and Truth. But sometimes, in the words of today's gospel, the light of God’s love never ceases to shine even when we deliberately run away from and avoid it. Our calling as God's children is to keep coming into God’s loving light. That will sometimes mean turning from whatever pockets of darkness are to be found in our lives that usually come between us and the love of God. Nothing in all creation should ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reception of God's Love and Light
What is asked of us in relation to God is that we receive God’s love, or as today's gospel reading puts it: 'that we come into the light.' The light of God’s love falls upon us, but we can hide from it. Why? Generally, it is obvious that children are often afraid of the dark, so as parents, in order to drive away this fear of darkness, a dim light is sometimes left on while the children sleep, so that if they wake up, it is not in pitch darkness. Many of us as adults find total darkness fearful and disconcerting too. As innocent children that we were, we feared darkness and loved light. So, what is happening to us now as adults, that we have come to love and prefer darkness to light? As adults we now fear the light, because we suspect that the light will expose us in some way. This is because we are yet to do what God wants of us, we still have evil things to hide and do in the cover of darkness, some skeletons in our cupboards. Although most of us would claim to prefer light to darkness, in today’s gospel reading Jesus declares that some people ‘have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil’. Have you noticed that most crimes are committed during the hours of darkness. Those who are intent on doing wrong and evil are drawn to darkness than light because it provides them with cover. As today’s gospel states: ‘Everyone who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed’. In our society, one of the many security measures that have become popular in recent years is the lighting up of the entire area. Sometimes we experience an array of bright lights that come on at night whenever anyone steps into an area that is out of bounds. Light is considered, with good reason, to be a deterrent to the person who is intent on committing a crime. Indeed, there is a sense in which many fear too much light just as we do fear too much darkness. Many of us prefer to stay in the background, in the shadows; we don’t like the spotlight being shone on us. We all have secrets that we would wish to remain in darkness, away from the bright lights that human curiosity and inquiry might like to shine on them. Yes, there are aspects of our lives that we would prefer to remain in darkness because we are not sure how people might respond to us if a bright light were to be shone on them. We only bring our deepest selves out into the light in the presence of those we really trust. But always remember that nothing is hidden in the sight of God. The lord sees and knows all.
The Power of God's Light.
Dear friends, rather than fear the light of God, we should as a matter of urgency, seek for, embrace and love this light. God's light is not a harsh light. It is a strong, yet warm light that brings healing to us, illuminates our way and generates new life. It is an empowering light that enables us to ‘live the good life’, as Paul says in the second reading. Why should we then, as God's children prefer darkness to light? Let us allow ourselves to be disposed to God's love and light and so be enabled to become the people God desires us to be, what the second reading refers to as ‘God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life’. If we allow God's light to shine on us, and allow ourselves to be touched by God’s love given to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we will begin to live fully human lives and we will enter into eternal life. Remember that God's light is one that darkness cannot overcome, it is a love that human sin cannot extinguish. This is why today, being the fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Guadete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday. The Lord calls us to rejoice for a great light has been given to us in Christ. So, whenever we are going through difficult situations and experiences, and darkness seems to envelope and overpower us, (though it can be tempting to think that we will never see the light again), let us know that God's light is still shining on us even in those our darkest moments, and darkness can NEVER overcome it.
Our Intentions and Prayer
We pray that as we keep journeying to our Father, the life-giving light of God’s love would renew us and fill us with a desire to serve him more truly. We pray that we will always see the cross as the dominant symbol of our Christianity, that we recognise that the cross is a powerful sign of how much God values us, how precious we are in His sight, the extent to which He is prepared to go to express His love for us. Amen.
-PadreCharlesLwanga.
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