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Year - B

Homily for Fourth Sunday of Lent

READ: (2 Chr 36: 14-16, 19-23; Eph 2: 4-10; Jn 3: 14-21)

REFLECT: Salvation is God’s free gift to humanity and God wishes our Salvation …

Dear friends, we are in the fourth Sunday of Lent. The fourth Sunday is also called as Laetare Sunday, which means rejoice Sunday as it is in the mid-way of the celebration of Easter. Something similar pattern we would find during the season of Advent too. The Mid-way of celebration of Christmas, we call it a Gaudete Sunday, which means as well rejoice Sunday as the birth of our saviour is near at hand. Today we definitely need to rejoice as we are anticipating the celebration of resurrection that’s so near us in two weeks time, giving us hope, courage and strength. The entire liturgy of the word manifests to us the love of in various ways. The manifestation of God’s love over us is for our salvation and redemption. It is an undeniable fact that redemption is the work of God, it is God who initiates and it is God who wishes our salvation. Therefore, the one believes in God and co-operates with the plan of God would obtain the free offer of salvation that God grants. Therefore, based on the liturgy of the word, I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1. Compassion of God:

One of the ways that God expresses his love for us his people down through the years is through mercy, forgiveness and compassion. Although, we repeatedly choose to go astray or go away from God’s love due to vulnerable conditions of human nature, yet, God comes after us and comes down to our love to love us. The people of Israel were chosen by God as his own people, treasured people but the outcome from them was always deception and unfaithfulness to God. God has sent them leaders, kings and prophets to protect the people of Israel, lead them and direct them according to his ways, but Israelites never realized the love of God because of their stubbornness. This is what we see in the first reading from Second Book of Chronicles.

In the first reading, taken from the Second Book of Chronicles, we see the compassion and merciful love of God. God chooses Cyrus the Great, a Persian King, a pagan conqueror, to become the instrument of His mercy and salvation. The chosen people who were exiled for their unfaithfulness to God is now given another opportunity to come back to God.  God, in and through the reign of Cyrus, the king of Persia, permits the people in exile to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, which had been burned by the Chaldeans as a punishment from God for the disloyalties of the Chosen People. The main reason why God sends the Persian and a Pagan king Cyrus was the cry of the people of Israel and God’s unconditional love for his chosen people. As people of Israel have gone astray from God by their infidelity, they underwent a terrible agony and anguish in life for their sins and the Lord for their cry, mercifully rescues them from such fateful destiny by making use of the Persian King Cyrus. It is probable as well, that God does not use king of Israel as in the past to lead the people of Israel rather a Persian king Cyrus as an instrument of Israel’s redemption this time. It depicts that God could use different and unexpected ways and means for the salvation of his people, provided they pay heed to the Lord and walk towards him faithfully. It is because he loves and gives ample of opportunities.

Today, when we introspect over our lives, we would see that God has provided innumerable opportunities for us to return to him and take shelter under his protective care, but it is we who are not ready and willing and choose to remain stubborn and unfaithfulness. Most of our downfall in the progression of a faithful life as God’s children is due to the lack of realization that God loves us and shows compassion. God never changes his approach and attitudes towards us. It is we who change our perspectives and approaches towards God and go astray as wayward children. So God always remains a compassionate God, pouring out on us his mercy and compassion, so that we could feel the love of God, experience his love and share it with others.

That’s why Pope Francis would put it rightly the mercy and compassion of God in the following words: “Our God is a God of compassion, and compassion, we can say is the weakness of God, but also His strength. Compassion is not a feeling of pity, a sentiment one would feel for example when seeing a dog die on the road. It is when compassion takes hold we get involved in the problems of others.” Yes, what holds all of us close to God is his love and how God manifests his love is through compassion. So let this day be a time to realize the compassion of God and assure others of the same compassion that God shows us, although we are unworthy and undeserving. May the compassion of God help us to be compassionate to one another and come closer to God, who loves us always.

2. Grace of God:

Grace of God is another manifestation of God’s love. Grace is nothing but the undeserved favour or unmerited favor of God over humanity. It’s a free gift that is given by God. God doesn’t count on people’s success or failure, weakness or strength, capacity or career, gifts or talents rather it’s kind intention of God manifested through love and blessings over us . Grace is the greatest goodness of the Lord manifested to us to live life happily and satisfactorily. The grace of God enables us to experience God’s love and express it to people around us and people those whom we encounter or come to visit us. Therefore, grace is an important act of God by which we live worthwhile and genuine life in the world. The true manifestation of God’s grace is what we see in the second reading of the day.

In the second reading in the Letter to Ephesians, Paul tells us that it’s God’s richness of grace that He has granted us eternal salvation and eternal life as a free gift through Christ Jesus. St. Paul points out clearly the gift of faith which the Ephesian community obtained this gift is given to the Ephesians in spite of their sins and sinfulness. God united them to Christ and has given them the right to share in His resurrection and inherit heaven with Him and through Him. That’s why St. Paul very beautifully tells in today’s second reading, “By grace we are saved through faith and this is not our own doing, it’s the grace of God.” yes, It’s by the grace of God in and through Jesus Christ, the door of salvation and redemption was opened for us. Sometime, we have a tendency to consider that with one’s own efforts we could obtain salvation. If we could look at it from right perspective, we would understand that it was God who took initiative and still its God who takes initiative for our salvation.

Today, how we could experience the grace of God in our lives is what we need to look into. At times, it may not be like dew that descends from above. It could be by a kind word or deed expressed and manifested through parents, elders, people around us or people who love us always. Our lukewarm attitude and stubborn nature fails to see the ways that God opens for us. At times, the mind does not grasp, the heart doesn’t feel, the eyes can’t see the manifestation of God’s grace and power in our lives. It’s at that moment, we end up our lives in lose living and sin, thus abandon God’s guiding thread.  What prevents us from experiencing God’s grace is our selfish and stubborn nature that we can do everything by ourselves, a feeling that we are mini gods and an attitude that we are the masters of life.

So today what we need is to understand that the grace of God is not a commercial activity in a market, where we go, give money and buy the goods or commodities we want rather it’s the free gift of God and chooses to give this unmerited favor, whomsoever God likes or wishes. That’s what Pope Francis very beautifully says, “God’s grace is not merchandise that people can hoard or exploit for themselves, and it’s a free and loving embrace of God. The Lord is not a merchant giving his grace as an object in exchange for something. God loves us freely like a mother loves her child and the lets itself to be loved.” Yes, this is the grace of God. Let’s not commercialize the grace of God rather be committed to the grace of God he manifests to us always.

3. The Self-emptying act of God:

Another highest manifestation of God’s love for is shown in and through the self-emptying love of Jesus Christ, offering his own life as a ransom and redemption for us all. We hear in St. Pau’s letter to Philippians, “Jesus emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men,” (Phil 2:7). Jesus, by giving up his own nature took upon himself our nature for love of us. This act of emptying we call it ‘Kenosis’ in Greek. We all know that ‘kenosis’ the Greek word refers to the ‘self-emptying’' of one’s own will and become entirely receptive to God and the divine will.

Giving one’s own life requires courage, commitment, conviction and above all genuine love and concern. We find rarely people coming forward for such great acts and probably even if they come forward, they might expect something in return personally or collectively. But God didn’t expect anything in return except our return to him as his Children. That’s why, God could give up his own Son Jesus for Love of us. Such a great act of God’s Love is what we have in today’s gospel Reading from St. John’s Gospel. Today’s Gospel Reading provides us a higher and perfect manifestation of God’s love through Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, who becomes the agent of God’s salvation and redemption for the entire world. So the familiar and heart touching bible verse that expresses God’s highest level of love is what we have in  the Gospel of John, “ God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that we may not perish but may have eternal life.” This particular bible verse teaches us how God expresses His love, mercy, and compassion for us by giving His Only Son for our salvation.

The Gospel reading of the day presents before us the unconditional love of God in sending His Son to the World; the purpose of sending Jesus into the world is not for condemnation or destruction but for redemption; and what we must do is to believe in the Son. The one who believes the Son would walk towards the light of the Lord and obtain life eternal as a reward but the one does not believe in the Son would walk in darkness and lose the free offer of eternal life that God offers by his or her own choice. Therefore, God has offered freely and has given us the freedom to choose eternal life or to end life. We need to decide now the offer of God he has given to us. So we have a loving God, who does not get annoyed with our weakness or sinfulness rather a caring God, who cares for us and expects that we cast upon our cares and worries unto him, so that God could turn our worries of life to wonderful life. However, the ultimate goal of God has been the redemption of the entire world.

Pope Francis beautifully explains to us the gospel passage of the day in the following manner: “In the brief dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus presents Himself as He who brings to fulfillment the Father’s plan of salvation for the world. He affirms: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (v. 16). These words are to indicate that the action of the three divine Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is all a single plan of love that saves humanity and the world. It is a plan of salvation: for us. The world God created was good, beautiful, but after sin, the world is marked by evil and corruption, and we men and women are sinners; therefore, God could intervene to judge the world, to destroy evil and castigate sinners. Instead, He loves the world, despite its sins; God loves every one of us even when we make mistakes and distance ourselves from Him. The Trinity is therefore Love, all in the service of the world, which He wishes to save and recreate.

Yes, God has opened the door of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. It is a free offer for those who wish to enter into the love covenant with God. Are we ready and willing to enter the door or road that leads to life eternal? For most of us, weakness invades our human mind and heart, body and soul. Consequently, we fall to the ground failing to realize the strength of the spirit and soul that we have within us. If only we realize that the spirit of God is in us and it could empower us and strengthen us, we would rise above our weaknesses and wickedness, sinfulness and shame. But most of us make a mountain out of a molehill, meaning to say that we are too worried so much about mistakes and failures which could take us away from God’s love but never realize the grace of God where it can take us to.

Today we need to realize that sin cannot be stronger than grace. If we fear sin, we would just drown in it and damage ourselves more and disown the offer of salvation but if we pray and seek upon God’s grace and mercy for our sins, we would obtain blessings in abundance and gain eternal life. Let us realize that God does not look on our sins and sinfulness but how much efforts we make to come out it. Although we were sinners engrossed in sin, Yet, God sent his Son to save us. Today although we sin, yet God gives us multiple opportunities to save us, because he loves us. He cannot stop loving us because God himself is love and he created us because he loved us. Let us realize the love of God, love God all the more and love one another and love all that we do, so that the love of God might permeate the entire universe and the offer of salvation that God offers may benefit the entire human race.

RESPOND:

Do we realize the compassion of God and come forward to manifest God’s compassion and mercy to one another?

Do we realize the grace of God in us and strengthen our minds, hearts, spirits and souls to be moved by God and his grace?

Do we realize the self-emptying love of God in our lives and manifest the same, emptying ourselves of sinful nature to fill ourselves with grace and love of God?

Let us realize the offer of Salvation in compassion, grace and self-emptying love of God in our lives and be compassionate, gracious and loving to one another in the world. Amen. 

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968