Bài Giảng Chúa Nhật thứ 4 Mùa Chay. Năm B
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng Chúa nhật của sự Hân Hoan (Laetare). Tên này xuất phát từ tiếng Latin, Hãy vui mừng!
Thứ ba, chúng ta có thể thấy được những vấn đề khó khăn về bạo lực trong Kinh Thánh. Như các tác giả Kinh Thánh thửa ban đầu đã dạy, Đức Chúa Trời đã hết sức cố gắng để giải thoát con người chúng ta tránh khỏi những sự thần phục thần tượng vật chất. Cái cực đoan lớn nhất trong chúng ta chính là thập giá. Thập giá có tất cả mọi thứ. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy trống rỗng, bối rối hay tức giận, chúng ta hãy đến với thập giá. Nếu chúng ta muốn có một tâm trí và trái tim mới mè, hãy đến với thập giá Chúa Ki-tô.
Đó là những gì chúng ta thấy trong Tin Mừng ngày hôm nay. Chúa Giêsu nói rằng như ông Môsê đã treo con rắn trong sa mạc thì chính Chúa cũng phải bị treo lên như vậy. Khi dân Israel bị rắn cắn, Thiên Chúa bảo ông Môi-se làm một con rắn bằng đồng và treo nó lên một cây cột để bất cứ ai nhìn vào đó thì sẽ đều được cứu sống sau khi bị rắn cắn.
Hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đang nói với chúng ta rằng bất cứ ai nhìn vào thập giá Chúa Ki-tô với đức tin thì người đó sẽ được cứu thoát và tránh khỏi cái chết của con rắn Satan.
Chúa ta hãy nên trung thực khi nhận sét rằng con rắn ma quỷ đã cắn tất cả chúng ta. Vết cắn này đã gây ra vết thương do ghen tị, ham muốn và buồn chán tinh thần; những vết thương đó đang mưng mủ và dẫn con người đến tử vong. Chúng ta chỉ có một phương thuốc duy nhất -đó chính thập giá Chúa Ki-tô.
Thập giá Chúa Ki-tô dạy cho chúng ta tình yêu thương của Thiên Chúa. Như Chúa Giêsu nói hôm nay, Thiên Chúa yêu thương chúng ta đến nỗi đã ban Con Một của Ngài cho chúng ta. Một số người chối bỏ Chúa vì họ tưởng tượng là Chúa sẽ chối bỏ họ. Họ tự hỏi Chúa loại chúa nào mà lại đưa chúng ta tới hình phạt đời đời? Nhưng Chúa Giêsu nói rõ với chúng ta hôm nay rằng Ngài không đến để lên án con người chúng ta.
Chúng ta có thể đến với Chúa Giêsu với lòng tin tưởng. Chúa sẽ không lên án tội lỗi của chúng ta. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã nói đi nói lại điều này. Điều này có vẻ như hiển nhiên nhưng có nhiều người chưa nghe thấy hoặc không tin. Chúa Giêsu không đến để lên án bbaast cứ ai Nhưng Ngài đến để cứu rỗi con người tội lỗi, Ngài đến để sẵn sàng tha thứ và chữa lành chúng ta. Vì thế Chúa nhật tuần này chúng ta nhìn lên Chúa Giêsu, Người đang bị treo trên thập giá, để xin Chúa chữa lành những vết thương do ma quỷ gây ra.
Chúa nhật này Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta một lý do chính đáng để vui mừng. Chúa Nhật thứ tư mùa Chay này được gọi là Chúa Nhật Laetare, từ tiếng Latin có nghĩa là Vui mưng, hạnh phúc. Trong cuộc sống, đôi khi chúng ta có thể đến với những cảm giác đau khổ và xa lạ. Nhưng Chúa Giêsu muốn thay đổi điều đó. Hãy nhìn lên thập giá Chúa Ki-tô: “Như ông Môsê đã treo con rắn trong sa mạc, Con Người cũng phải bị treo lên như vậy, để ai tin vào Người thì được sự sống đời đời. Vì Thiên Chúa yêu thế gian đến nỗi đã ban Con Một của Người, để tất cả những ai tin Ngài thì không bị hư mất mà được sự sống đời đời”. Amen.
(Homily for Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B)
Message: You might come here feeling miserable and alienated. Jesus wants to turn that around.
Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday. The name comes from the Latin word, Rejoice!
In the Gospel Jesus gives us an astonishing reason to rejoice: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life., so far during fourth of Lent we have learned three main things:
First, we see that like Jesus in the desert we live between two extremes: wild beasts and the ministry of angels. In our world - and our lives - we have much evidence of humans acting like beasts. At the same time, we sense a higher reality: the ministry of angels can help us have a new mind and heart.
Second, to have a new mind and heart requires spiritual sight - like the disciples at the Transfiguration we want spiritual sight (a new mind and heart) to see the reality of Jesus and his cross.
Third, we have the difficult issue of violence in the Bible. As the early Christian writers teach, God goes to extreme to free us from idols. The great extreme is the cross itself. The cross has everything. When we feel empty, confused or angry, go to the cross. If we want a new mind and heart, go to the cross.
That's what we see today. Jesus says that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert so must he be lifted up. When snakes bit the Israelites, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who looked at it recovered from the snake bite.
Jesus is saying that anyone who looks at the cross with faith will recover from the snake bite of Satan.
Let's be honest. The devil has bitten all of us. The bite causes wounds of envy, lust and spiritual boredom; those wounds fester and lead to death. We have only one remedy - the cross.
The cross teaches us God's love. As Jesus says today, God so loves us that he gives his only Son. Some reject God because they imagine God will reject them. What kind of God, they ask, would send someone to eternal punishment? But Jesus makes clear that he does not come to condemn. A person can only condemn himself by turning from God's love, turning away from the cross - choosing the darkness and what people do in hiding. Hell is a choice. The Catechism defines hell as "self-exclusion."
We can come to Jesus with confidence. He will not condemn. Pope Francis has been saying this over and over. It may seem obvious, but many people have not heard it or do not believe it. Jesus does not come to condemn. He comes to save, forgive and heal. So this Sunday we look at Jesus, lifted up on the cross, to heal the wounds afflicted by the devil.
This Sunday Jesus gives us a good reason to be glad. This Sunday is called Laetare Sunday from the Latin word for happiness. It's the root of the name "Leticia." If you have a friend with that name, ask her if she knows her name means "gladness." Anyway, that's what this Sunday is about. You might come here feeling miserable and alienated. Jesus wants to turn that around. Look to the cross:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Amen.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B)
(Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection for Year A may be used in place of this one.)
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14–15
The line quoted above concludes a dialogue that Jesus had with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. This is the first of three times Nicodemus is mentioned in the Gospel of John. The second time he appears is when he reminds the other members of the Sanhedrin that a man must be first heard before he is condemned. The third time was when Jesus was killed and Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.
Jesus was not accepted by most of the Pharisees and within the Sanhedrin. For that reason, Nicodemus was taking a risk by going to him at night to talk. But Jesus clearly senses faith in the heart of Nicodemus, which is why when Nicodemus asks Jesus about His teaching, Jesus answers him. Unlike the other Pharisees, Nicodemus was not trying to trap our Lord; he sincerely wanted to understand.
At the beginning of this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, Nicodemus professes the beginning of faith in Jesus when he says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Interestingly, Jesus then speaks to Nicodemus in figures of speech, saying that one can only enter the Kingdom of God when they are “born from above” and “born from water and the Spirit.” Nicodemus tries to understand but fails. Jesus then gently rebukes him by saying, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?” (John 3:10). Jesus then goes on to speak further in symbolic language and figures of speech, concluding with the beginning of today’s Gospel quoted above when He speaks in a veiled way about His coming crucifixion.
One thing that is important to understand from this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus is that Jesus’ language is veiled in symbolic language because, even though Nicodemus was on the right path, he was not yet ready for the full revelation of the Gospel. He could not yet fully comprehend all that our Lord came to reveal. Thus, Jesus spoke in veiled language and invited Nicodemus to keep seeking its hidden meaning.
In our own lives, we can come to God and want Him to speak clearly and definitively to us, revealing His perfect will for our lives. But often He doesn’t. Why? Because God knows we are not yet ready for the full truth. When He speaks to us and when we gain insight in one way or another, this is good and reveals we are on the right path. But the Gospel, in its fullness, is so radical and so demanding that most people are not yet ready for the full truth. Therefore, in His compassion, God gives us only what we can handle at the moment. But this humble truth should encourage us, as it did Nicodemus, to not give up and to continue opening ourselves to the fullness of the Word of God.
Reflect, today, upon how open you are to the fullness of God’s Word. What would happen if God were to reveal to you, by an immediate personal revelation of divine knowledge, all that was in His sacred mind? Would it be too much for you to handle? Yes, it would be. But that humble admission is an important step toward that very goal. Humble yourself, today, more fully before the mysterious Word of God and pray that you will continue to be changed and open so that the clarity of God’s truth will more fully penetrate your soul.
My teaching Lord, Your sacred Truth is so deep, so profound and so transforming that it remains too much for me to fully comprehend and embrace. For that reason, I thank You for the mercy of speaking to me in veiled ways so as to continually draw me deeper in my faith and knowledge of You. Please continue to open my mind and heart to You so that, one day, I will understand Your Truth most fully. Jesus, I trust in You.
Fourth Sunday of Lent Year
B
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you did not abandon us when we sinned against you. You sent your only-begotten Son to save us, to die for us, and to be sacrificed once and for all as the Lamb to take away our debt of sin. I thank you today for the merciful gift of salvation. Give me the gift of your grace, purify my soul, and grant me a share in your divine life.
1. Reflecting on the History of the Kingdom of Judah: On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, the First Reading continues our march through the key moments of the history of salvation. The Second Book of Chronicles looks back on the history of the Kingdom of Judah. Sadly, it is largely one of infidelity on the part of the rulers of Judah, the priests, and the people. Instead of being a light to the nations, the people of God practiced the sinful abominations of the nations and polluted the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. God sent prophet after prophet to his people. But they rejected them and their message of repentance from sin and idolatry and the promise of divine compassion. The destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians is seen by the Chronicler as a divine punishment. It was also a way to impose the Sabbath rest – 70 years of rest – on the land of Israel. For centuries, the people of Israel had failed to observe the Sabbath years (Leviticus 25:1-7) and the Jubilee years (Leviticus 25:8-22-55). The Book of Leviticus foresees a punishment of exile for disobeying the agricultural rest during the Sabbath years (Leviticus 26:43). The 70 years of exile, prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:2, 25:11, 29:10; Daniel 9:2), came to an end around 538 B.C. with the decree of the Persian King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. In all this, the message of the Chronicler is that God is in charge of history and guides it. God will restore his people from exile, for he is faithful to the covenant oaths he swore to Abraham and David.
2. The Father Saves the World through the Son: Although the Babylonian Exile came to an end and the Temple was rebuilt, there is a sense in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that this is only a partial fulfillment of the prophecies of restoration. The people of Judah, who returned from exile, awaited greater things: the Kingdom of David still needed to be restored, the twelve tribes of Israel needed to be restored, a New Covenant needed to be established, and God’s servant had yet to appear. True and ultimate restoration only happens with the sending of God’s Son. Jesus is the one who truly brings the exile to an end, establishes the unbreakable New Covenant, and becomes the New Temple where we can worship God the Father in spirit and in truth.
3. By Grace You Have Been Saved: In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul begins the passage we read with God as the source of our salvation. Paul then describes sin as a kind of spiritual death. Being saved by grace is a kind of spiritual resurrection from the spiritual death caused by sin. Paul goes on to describe the state of original sin into which we were born. When Paul speaks about salvation here, he means that we are saved by Christ not just from the personal sins we commit but also from the state of spiritual death into which we were born. Paul emphasizes that our salvation from the devil and original sin is an unmerited gift from God. We have been saved not through our own efforts but by grace. We are not owed salvation. The initial unmerited and saving grace is given to us in and through Baptism, which is how we begin to share in Christ’s Resurrection from the dead and in his Ascension to glory.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my Savior and Redeemer. You gave your life to save me from sin and death. You ransomed us from the power of the devil. I am moved with gratitude for all that you have done. Help me to radiate the light of salvation today.
Living the Word of God: Am I truly grateful for the marvelous things that God has done for me? How can I manifest gratitude for the unmerited gift of salvation in a prayer of thanksgiving?
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng
Chúa Nhật Thứ Tư Mùa Chay; Năm B
Con người nhân loại chúng ta chưa hề có một kỷ lục tuyệt hảo nào về công lý, lòng thương xót, và trung thành với Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa đã gởi đến thế giới rât nhiều tiên tri để tiên báo và giáo dục dân Israel, nhưng họ đã bỏ ngoài tai và kết quả là họ đã bị Thiên Chúa trừng phạt và tàn phá cả Giêrusalem và dân chúng phải chịu cảnh lưu đày ở Babylon, và khắp nơi. Trong nhiều thế kỷ sau đó, Người Kitô hữu chúng ta vẫn chưa làm tốt hơn, và chúng ta cũng đã phải trải qua các cuộc chiến tranh tàn khốc, vì tranh dành quyền lợi cá nhân, chúng ta cũng đã nhìn thấy những cảnh bất công để chứng minh những điều này. May mắn thay, Thiên Chúa đã từ bi và có lòng thương xót nhân loại.
Trong thơ gởi cho giáo đoàn người Êphêsô Thánh Phaolô đã viết Thiên Chúa đã thương xót và cứu chuộc chúng ta không phải vì chúng ta xứng đáng, nhưng chính bởi vì sự không xứng đáng của chúng ta và với lòng thương xót và nhân hậu của Chúa và chính nhờ thế mà Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta có được những ăn sủng của Ngài để cứu thoát chúng ta không bị án phạt đời đời mà đưa chúng ta lên với Ngài qua cái chết của Chúa Kitô con Ngài.
Reflection
Sunday 4th Lent
Humanity does not have a great record for justice, mercy, and fidelity, to God. God sent many prophets to warn the people of Israel, and they were ignored. The result was the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in Babylon. In the centuries since then, Christians have not done much better, and we have a long list of wars, atrocities, and injustices to prove it. Fortunately, God is compassionate and merciful. Ephesians makes it very clear that God saves us not because we deserve it, but precisely because we don’t — it is pure grace.
We have no right to boast of our spiritual and moral achievements, or to despise and judge others. Our response to God's mercy and compassion towards us should be profound gratitude, as well as a desire to extend this same mercy to others. God’s love and mercy reaches a climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
In the most famous verse in the New Testament, we are told that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to grant us eternal life. Through faith, we lift up our minds and hearts to Jesus and allow the Lord to heal us of the selfishness, fear, negativity, and anger that leads to spiritual death. Faith is far more than belief — it is a relationship and it is trust and surrender. Lord, I am grateful for Your compassionate mercy.
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng Chúa nhật của sự Hân Hoan (Laetare). Tên này xuất phát từ tiếng Latin, Hãy vui mừng!
Thứ ba, chúng ta có thể thấy được những vấn đề khó khăn về bạo lực trong Kinh Thánh. Như các tác giả Kinh Thánh thửa ban đầu đã dạy, Đức Chúa Trời đã hết sức cố gắng để giải thoát con người chúng ta tránh khỏi những sự thần phục thần tượng vật chất. Cái cực đoan lớn nhất trong chúng ta chính là thập giá. Thập giá có tất cả mọi thứ. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy trống rỗng, bối rối hay tức giận, chúng ta hãy đến với thập giá. Nếu chúng ta muốn có một tâm trí và trái tim mới mè, hãy đến với thập giá Chúa Ki-tô.
Đó là những gì chúng ta thấy trong Tin Mừng ngày hôm nay. Chúa Giêsu nói rằng như ông Môsê đã treo con rắn trong sa mạc thì chính Chúa cũng phải bị treo lên như vậy. Khi dân Israel bị rắn cắn, Thiên Chúa bảo ông Môi-se làm một con rắn bằng đồng và treo nó lên một cây cột để bất cứ ai nhìn vào đó thì sẽ đều được cứu sống sau khi bị rắn cắn.
Hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đang nói với chúng ta rằng bất cứ ai nhìn vào thập giá Chúa Ki-tô với đức tin thì người đó sẽ được cứu thoát và tránh khỏi cái chết của con rắn Satan.
Chúa ta hãy nên trung thực khi nhận sét rằng con rắn ma quỷ đã cắn tất cả chúng ta. Vết cắn này đã gây ra vết thương do ghen tị, ham muốn và buồn chán tinh thần; những vết thương đó đang mưng mủ và dẫn con người đến tử vong. Chúng ta chỉ có một phương thuốc duy nhất -đó chính thập giá Chúa Ki-tô.
Thập giá Chúa Ki-tô dạy cho chúng ta tình yêu thương của Thiên Chúa. Như Chúa Giêsu nói hôm nay, Thiên Chúa yêu thương chúng ta đến nỗi đã ban Con Một của Ngài cho chúng ta. Một số người chối bỏ Chúa vì họ tưởng tượng là Chúa sẽ chối bỏ họ. Họ tự hỏi Chúa loại chúa nào mà lại đưa chúng ta tới hình phạt đời đời? Nhưng Chúa Giêsu nói rõ với chúng ta hôm nay rằng Ngài không đến để lên án con người chúng ta.
Chúng ta có thể đến với Chúa Giêsu với lòng tin tưởng. Chúa sẽ không lên án tội lỗi của chúng ta. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã nói đi nói lại điều này. Điều này có vẻ như hiển nhiên nhưng có nhiều người chưa nghe thấy hoặc không tin. Chúa Giêsu không đến để lên án bbaast cứ ai Nhưng Ngài đến để cứu rỗi con người tội lỗi, Ngài đến để sẵn sàng tha thứ và chữa lành chúng ta. Vì thế Chúa nhật tuần này chúng ta nhìn lên Chúa Giêsu, Người đang bị treo trên thập giá, để xin Chúa chữa lành những vết thương do ma quỷ gây ra.
Chúa nhật này Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta một lý do chính đáng để vui mừng. Chúa Nhật thứ tư mùa Chay này được gọi là Chúa Nhật Laetare, từ tiếng Latin có nghĩa là Vui mưng, hạnh phúc. Trong cuộc sống, đôi khi chúng ta có thể đến với những cảm giác đau khổ và xa lạ. Nhưng Chúa Giêsu muốn thay đổi điều đó. Hãy nhìn lên thập giá Chúa Ki-tô: “Như ông Môsê đã treo con rắn trong sa mạc, Con Người cũng phải bị treo lên như vậy, để ai tin vào Người thì được sự sống đời đời. Vì Thiên Chúa yêu thế gian đến nỗi đã ban Con Một của Người, để tất cả những ai tin Ngài thì không bị hư mất mà được sự sống đời đời”. Amen.
Message: You might come here feeling miserable and alienated. Jesus wants to turn that around.
Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday. The name comes from the Latin word, Rejoice!
In the Gospel Jesus gives us an astonishing reason to rejoice: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life., so far during fourth of Lent we have learned three main things:
First, we see that like Jesus in the desert we live between two extremes: wild beasts and the ministry of angels. In our world - and our lives - we have much evidence of humans acting like beasts. At the same time, we sense a higher reality: the ministry of angels can help us have a new mind and heart.
Second, to have a new mind and heart requires spiritual sight - like the disciples at the Transfiguration we want spiritual sight (a new mind and heart) to see the reality of Jesus and his cross.
Third, we have the difficult issue of violence in the Bible. As the early Christian writers teach, God goes to extreme to free us from idols. The great extreme is the cross itself. The cross has everything. When we feel empty, confused or angry, go to the cross. If we want a new mind and heart, go to the cross.
That's what we see today. Jesus says that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert so must he be lifted up. When snakes bit the Israelites, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who looked at it recovered from the snake bite.
Jesus is saying that anyone who looks at the cross with faith will recover from the snake bite of Satan.
Let's be honest. The devil has bitten all of us. The bite causes wounds of envy, lust and spiritual boredom; those wounds fester and lead to death. We have only one remedy - the cross.
The cross teaches us God's love. As Jesus says today, God so loves us that he gives his only Son. Some reject God because they imagine God will reject them. What kind of God, they ask, would send someone to eternal punishment? But Jesus makes clear that he does not come to condemn. A person can only condemn himself by turning from God's love, turning away from the cross - choosing the darkness and what people do in hiding. Hell is a choice. The Catechism defines hell as "self-exclusion."
We can come to Jesus with confidence. He will not condemn. Pope Francis has been saying this over and over. It may seem obvious, but many people have not heard it or do not believe it. Jesus does not come to condemn. He comes to save, forgive and heal. So this Sunday we look at Jesus, lifted up on the cross, to heal the wounds afflicted by the devil.
This Sunday Jesus gives us a good reason to be glad. This Sunday is called Laetare Sunday from the Latin word for happiness. It's the root of the name "Leticia." If you have a friend with that name, ask her if she knows her name means "gladness." Anyway, that's what this Sunday is about. You might come here feeling miserable and alienated. Jesus wants to turn that around. Look to the cross:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Amen.
(Note: When the Scrutinies are used at Mass, the reflection for Year A may be used in place of this one.)
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:14–15
The line quoted above concludes a dialogue that Jesus had with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. This is the first of three times Nicodemus is mentioned in the Gospel of John. The second time he appears is when he reminds the other members of the Sanhedrin that a man must be first heard before he is condemned. The third time was when Jesus was killed and Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.
Jesus was not accepted by most of the Pharisees and within the Sanhedrin. For that reason, Nicodemus was taking a risk by going to him at night to talk. But Jesus clearly senses faith in the heart of Nicodemus, which is why when Nicodemus asks Jesus about His teaching, Jesus answers him. Unlike the other Pharisees, Nicodemus was not trying to trap our Lord; he sincerely wanted to understand.
At the beginning of this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, Nicodemus professes the beginning of faith in Jesus when he says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Interestingly, Jesus then speaks to Nicodemus in figures of speech, saying that one can only enter the Kingdom of God when they are “born from above” and “born from water and the Spirit.” Nicodemus tries to understand but fails. Jesus then gently rebukes him by saying, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?” (John 3:10). Jesus then goes on to speak further in symbolic language and figures of speech, concluding with the beginning of today’s Gospel quoted above when He speaks in a veiled way about His coming crucifixion.
One thing that is important to understand from this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus is that Jesus’ language is veiled in symbolic language because, even though Nicodemus was on the right path, he was not yet ready for the full revelation of the Gospel. He could not yet fully comprehend all that our Lord came to reveal. Thus, Jesus spoke in veiled language and invited Nicodemus to keep seeking its hidden meaning.
In our own lives, we can come to God and want Him to speak clearly and definitively to us, revealing His perfect will for our lives. But often He doesn’t. Why? Because God knows we are not yet ready for the full truth. When He speaks to us and when we gain insight in one way or another, this is good and reveals we are on the right path. But the Gospel, in its fullness, is so radical and so demanding that most people are not yet ready for the full truth. Therefore, in His compassion, God gives us only what we can handle at the moment. But this humble truth should encourage us, as it did Nicodemus, to not give up and to continue opening ourselves to the fullness of the Word of God.
Reflect, today, upon how open you are to the fullness of God’s Word. What would happen if God were to reveal to you, by an immediate personal revelation of divine knowledge, all that was in His sacred mind? Would it be too much for you to handle? Yes, it would be. But that humble admission is an important step toward that very goal. Humble yourself, today, more fully before the mysterious Word of God and pray that you will continue to be changed and open so that the clarity of God’s truth will more fully penetrate your soul.
My teaching Lord, Your sacred Truth is so deep, so profound and so transforming that it remains too much for me to fully comprehend and embrace. For that reason, I thank You for the mercy of speaking to me in veiled ways so as to continually draw me deeper in my faith and knowledge of You. Please continue to open my mind and heart to You so that, one day, I will understand Your Truth most fully. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you did not abandon us when we sinned against you. You sent your only-begotten Son to save us, to die for us, and to be sacrificed once and for all as the Lamb to take away our debt of sin. I thank you today for the merciful gift of salvation. Give me the gift of your grace, purify my soul, and grant me a share in your divine life.
1. Reflecting on the History of the Kingdom of Judah: On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, the First Reading continues our march through the key moments of the history of salvation. The Second Book of Chronicles looks back on the history of the Kingdom of Judah. Sadly, it is largely one of infidelity on the part of the rulers of Judah, the priests, and the people. Instead of being a light to the nations, the people of God practiced the sinful abominations of the nations and polluted the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. God sent prophet after prophet to his people. But they rejected them and their message of repentance from sin and idolatry and the promise of divine compassion. The destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians is seen by the Chronicler as a divine punishment. It was also a way to impose the Sabbath rest – 70 years of rest – on the land of Israel. For centuries, the people of Israel had failed to observe the Sabbath years (Leviticus 25:1-7) and the Jubilee years (Leviticus 25:8-22-55). The Book of Leviticus foresees a punishment of exile for disobeying the agricultural rest during the Sabbath years (Leviticus 26:43). The 70 years of exile, prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 9:2, 25:11, 29:10; Daniel 9:2), came to an end around 538 B.C. with the decree of the Persian King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. In all this, the message of the Chronicler is that God is in charge of history and guides it. God will restore his people from exile, for he is faithful to the covenant oaths he swore to Abraham and David.
2. The Father Saves the World through the Son: Although the Babylonian Exile came to an end and the Temple was rebuilt, there is a sense in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that this is only a partial fulfillment of the prophecies of restoration. The people of Judah, who returned from exile, awaited greater things: the Kingdom of David still needed to be restored, the twelve tribes of Israel needed to be restored, a New Covenant needed to be established, and God’s servant had yet to appear. True and ultimate restoration only happens with the sending of God’s Son. Jesus is the one who truly brings the exile to an end, establishes the unbreakable New Covenant, and becomes the New Temple where we can worship God the Father in spirit and in truth.
3. By Grace You Have Been Saved: In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul begins the passage we read with God as the source of our salvation. Paul then describes sin as a kind of spiritual death. Being saved by grace is a kind of spiritual resurrection from the spiritual death caused by sin. Paul goes on to describe the state of original sin into which we were born. When Paul speaks about salvation here, he means that we are saved by Christ not just from the personal sins we commit but also from the state of spiritual death into which we were born. Paul emphasizes that our salvation from the devil and original sin is an unmerited gift from God. We have been saved not through our own efforts but by grace. We are not owed salvation. The initial unmerited and saving grace is given to us in and through Baptism, which is how we begin to share in Christ’s Resurrection from the dead and in his Ascension to glory.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my Savior and Redeemer. You gave your life to save me from sin and death. You ransomed us from the power of the devil. I am moved with gratitude for all that you have done. Help me to radiate the light of salvation today.
Living the Word of God: Am I truly grateful for the marvelous things that God has done for me? How can I manifest gratitude for the unmerited gift of salvation in a prayer of thanksgiving?
Con người nhân loại chúng ta chưa hề có một kỷ lục tuyệt hảo nào về công lý, lòng thương xót, và trung thành với Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa đã gởi đến thế giới rât nhiều tiên tri để tiên báo và giáo dục dân Israel, nhưng họ đã bỏ ngoài tai và kết quả là họ đã bị Thiên Chúa trừng phạt và tàn phá cả Giêrusalem và dân chúng phải chịu cảnh lưu đày ở Babylon, và khắp nơi. Trong nhiều thế kỷ sau đó, Người Kitô hữu chúng ta vẫn chưa làm tốt hơn, và chúng ta cũng đã phải trải qua các cuộc chiến tranh tàn khốc, vì tranh dành quyền lợi cá nhân, chúng ta cũng đã nhìn thấy những cảnh bất công để chứng minh những điều này. May mắn thay, Thiên Chúa đã từ bi và có lòng thương xót nhân loại.
Trong thơ gởi cho giáo đoàn người Êphêsô Thánh Phaolô đã viết Thiên Chúa đã thương xót và cứu chuộc chúng ta không phải vì chúng ta xứng đáng, nhưng chính bởi vì sự không xứng đáng của chúng ta và với lòng thương xót và nhân hậu của Chúa và chính nhờ thế mà Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta có được những ăn sủng của Ngài để cứu thoát chúng ta không bị án phạt đời đời mà đưa chúng ta lên với Ngài qua cái chết của Chúa Kitô con Ngài.
Humanity does not have a great record for justice, mercy, and fidelity, to God. God sent many prophets to warn the people of Israel, and they were ignored. The result was the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in Babylon. In the centuries since then, Christians have not done much better, and we have a long list of wars, atrocities, and injustices to prove it. Fortunately, God is compassionate and merciful. Ephesians makes it very clear that God saves us not because we deserve it, but precisely because we don’t — it is pure grace.
We have no right to boast of our spiritual and moral achievements, or to despise and judge others. Our response to God's mercy and compassion towards us should be profound gratitude, as well as a desire to extend this same mercy to others. God’s love and mercy reaches a climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
In the most famous verse in the New Testament, we are told that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to grant us eternal life. Through faith, we lift up our minds and hearts to Jesus and allow the Lord to heal us of the selfishness, fear, negativity, and anger that leads to spiritual death. Faith is far more than belief — it is a relationship and it is trust and surrender. Lord, I am grateful for Your compassionate mercy.
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