REFRESH, RENEW AND RELAUNCH

First Reading: 2 Chr 36:14-17, 19-23
Second Reading: Eph 2:4-10
Gospel: Jn 3:14-21

We are in the Fourth Sunday of Lent. As we are in the middle of lent, just 20 days more to celebrate our redemption, the church invites us to keep this day as Laetare Sunday which means to ‘rejoice’. On this day little relaxation from penances and little decorations are allowed in the liturgy to express our hope and joy of Easter in the midst of Lenten fast and penances. It’s a day to refresh, renew and relaunch. The first and second reading give us a joyful message of redemption. The gospel gives us an option to renew our lives and relaunch in the way we want to walk forward.

In the first reading we hear about the history of Israelites, the reason for what there were exiled into Babylon. The opening verse of the readings states that all the leaders (the officers and priests) and the people were becoming unfaithful day by day. They allowed the reign of Satan in the holy city of Jerusalem. The reign of Satan is a reign of lies and human pride. They constantly and consistently rejected God’s message, warnings and maltreated the messengers. This rejection removed truth and God’s wisdom from chosen people. Every generation preferred lies and darkness more than the previous generation. Thus, the exile was inevitable. But God did not stop with this. God who out of compassion persistently sent prophets to warn His people, now after 70 years of exile announces liberation through Cyrus, the pagan king. This refreshes and renews the faith of chosen people. Again, this liberation is not based on the merit of the people but out of compassion from God. The end of every story is not doom but a rise from a fall. The sorrow of lent is not an end in itself but a journey towards resurrection to eternal life.

St. Paul in the second reading speaks about grace and mercy. He presents God as rich in mercy (Eph 2:4). A thing which God possess in great quantity is mercy – compassion. Again in line with the first reading St. Paul projects the liberation offered to us through Jesus Christ as God’s sheer gift. We are given this grace not to succumb to rest but to work. Our protestant brethren speak of justification through faith. Yes, through faith we are given a grace of salvation, but that gift is given so that we become co-workers of God in bring liberation to others. The sense of being forgiven and received mercy should lead us to uplift the other. Charity and almsgiving are not means to salvation but an expression of being forgiven, just as a mother-in-law of Simon Peter got into service after receiving healing from Jesus, our baptismal grace should lead us to the service of others.

In the Gospel, we have Nicodemus, a Jewish leader and good Pharisee who seeks truth and wisdom. He comes to Jesus at night because he is afraid of being exposed to others as a follower of Jesus. His conversation with Jesus at night brings light into his spiritual darkness. Although Nicodemus is not fully convinced by what Jesus has said, his presence at the burial of Jesus shows that the night encounter with Jesus has not gone in vain. Jesus speaks about the lifting up of Himself as snake was lifted up by Moses in the wilderness. Just as people who looked at the lifted up bronze serpent and lived (Num 21:9), people who look at the lifted up Christ on the Cross, in the resurrection and in ascension will gain eternal life. The central message of today’ s gospel, even the core of whole of John’s gospel is that; For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn 3:16). God who prevented Abraham from sacrificing his only and beloved son did not do the same with His own Son; God gave His only Son for the salvation of the world (Jn 3:16-18). The love of God is such that God could not withhold anything for Himself. The love of God gives away everything without counting the cost just to makes us inherit eternal life. But the choice is ours. God has love, shows mercy and compassion but it is we who has freedom of choice. The end of the Gospel shows that most people have preferred darkness over light (Jn 3:19). They fear that coming to Jesus, the light would expose the dark side of their lives. Many prefer to be like Nicodemus who comes to Jesus at night. The truth is that our sins will be exposed only to God. When our dark life gets exposed to others it would no more be a sin but a witness. It is the voice of Satan that prevent us from going near the light. The voice of God invites us to get immersed in the light to show way for others. 

As we are in the middle of Lenten season, let us renew our Lenten commitment and relaunch our holy observances which we have failed in keeping. With the awareness that this penitential season is a journey towards a joyful celebration of Easter, let us refresh, renew and relaunch our penances. May the light of Christ guide us on this way. 

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