AMAZING AND REJOICING GRACE
The Christian life is full of an amazing and rejoicing grace in God when our souls meet with true repentance of sins and embrace the unfathomable mercy of God. No one is a Christian because he or she merits being one. It is all grace and nothing but grace. This is the most humble fact we must be conscious of daily.
As articulated by the English evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (circa 1510–1555). He is said to have uttered the variant of the expression – “There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford”, when seeing criminals being led to the scaffold.
Our faith, our good works of mercy: corporal or spiritual, or our life in Christ and the Church are gifts of grace through the Holy Spirit.
“LÆTARE” (REJOICE) SUNDAY
Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Lent is called “Lætare” (Rejoice) Sunday, from the first words of today’s liturgy. The entrance antiphon of today’s Eucharist reads: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.” Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast” (Is. 66:10-11).
Liturgically, the colour of violet or purple is changed to pink or rose, and flowers can be placed on the altar. The church in her waiting changes the mood of living in joyful anticipation of the Resurrection’s joy.
The theme of our celebration is joy and rejoicing because God´s tenderness, mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation are boundless. This is also because we are halfway or more than halfway into our Lenten observances.
OUR THEME
The main topic of the readings of this fourth Sunday of Lent brings us to the realization that the grace of God’s salvation is alive in us. Irrespective of the state of life in God or the Church, whether believers or not, conscious of God’s presence, mercy, and grace in our lives or not.
God’s grace to save us is unconditional and unmerited like his unfailing love for us. There should never be any room for pride or boasting because of our state of grace, faith, and living in God or his Church. Since we are what we are because of his unmerited grace and mercy.
Also, the readings today make us very aware that we are still sinful humans, called to grow in faithfulness and love.
In a nutshell, today’s readings point to the solid fact that our salvation is the gift (grace) of a merciful God, given to us sinners through Jesus, His Son. The readings stress God’s mercy and compassion and remind us of the great love, kindness, and grace extended to us in Christ.
THE KEY THEME OF TODAY’S CELEBRATION IS THAT OUR SALVATION IS AN ABUNDANT FREE GIFT OF GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST- HIS ONLY SON
THE FIRST READING: 2 CHRONICLES 36:14-23
The Second Book of Chronicles is the book that gives us the historical account of Israel’s life, especially in the era of their kings. It gives us the account of Israel’s constant sin of infidelity through their kings. God’s relentless and conscious effort to bring them back to grace and sanity through various messengers and their obstinate hearts reject to embrace God’s mercy and grace.
Hence, the grave consequence of their sins: was the destruction of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, and the deportation of their survivors to a foreign land by the Babylonians as slaves.
Yet, amidst the catastrophe that befell them, their frustration and discouragement. God alone in His infinite wisdom, mercy, and grace raised an unknown servant a foreign ruler: King Cyprus of Persia to restore Israel’s kingdom, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple unmerited of his people.
We like the people of Israel have the nature of falling and rising like a nation before God always. Interestingly, their habitual falling to sin is met with partial repentance and fullness of unmerited grace, mercy, and goodness of God.
Sometimes through the prophets, unknown historical figures, as well as foreign rulers God, forgives and restores them to grace, mercy, and glory. No wonder, the Book of Proverbs 21: 1 states “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water. He turns it wherever He wishes.
This is the testimony of the first reading of today. God used King Cyprus of Persia to single-handedly save and restore Israel without any merit of theirs.
The first reading, indeed, gives us the sad history that God’s people were unfaithful and finally taken from their land into exile in Babylonia. The story does not end there, however. Instead, this story gives us cause for rejoicing because God brings some of His people back to Judah, to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple.
God shows mercy and compassion to a faithless and stubborn nation- Israel. Israel’s sinfulness brought upon her the punishment of exile to Babylon. Yet, God’s faithfulness restores her to her loss of glory through a pagan king of Persia. 2Chr. 36: 14-16, 19-23
THE PSALM 137
Psalm 137 captures the bitterest song that stemmed from one of the bitterest historical experiences of the people of Israel in the hands of the Babylonians. The Psalmist voices the pain of exile the captives of Judah suffered. Reportedly, at the time of the Babylonian exile of the twelve tribes of Israel, only two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) returned from horrific exile.
THE SECOND READING: EPHESIANS 2:4-10
There is nowhere in the Pauline theology that the theme of grace is unequivocally expressed than in this textual writing of today to the Christian community of Ephesus. For Paul, his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), his struggles (Romans 7:14-17ff), and his failures (1 Timothy 1:13; 2 Cor. 12:7-8) make him aware of one single fact. Life as a human and as a Christian or a servant of the gospel of Christ is grace: an unmerited grace nothing more, nothing less.
Therefore, the centre of Paul’s theology and evangelization is that we are saved not through our efforts, merits, or works but through the grace and mercy of God that comes through faith in Christ Jesus.
No Christian, pastor, priest, or any religious authority no matter the elevation or recognition in God or the Church merited what he or she is, if not for the grace of God. Hence, there is no room for pride, bragging, or boasting as well as the feeling of being “holier than thou” or having a superior mentality to others.
It only calls for profound humility in oneself as well as empathy towards others in their struggle. Anyone who realizes that life and all there is in it is grace will never be judgmental, condemnatory, and harden in forgiveness through others.
The second reading is from the Letter to the Ephesians2:4-10 and speaks again about our human failings and God’s mercy through UNMERITED GRACE. “God, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life in Christ. It is the gift of God.”
St. Paul reminds us of the generosity of God’s mercy and love which saves us from sins and wretchedness in Christ Jesus. A salvation by grace and faith and not merited in any way. Ef. 2:4-10
THE GOSPEL: JOHN 3:14-21
Today’s gospel of John includes John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” A biblical text many scriptural scholars believe to be everyone’s text in Christendom.
The Gospel gives the most favourite quote of the bible, ‘’ For God so loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him…’’ …will be saved and not perish. Jn. 3:16. Hence, we have this double assurance: that, in Christ Jesus, there is no CONDEMNATION BUT ETERNAL SALVATION!
THIS TEXT RADICALLY CHANGES OUR NOTION OR PERSPECTIVE OF GOD IN LIFE: GOD’S LOVE
1. It tells us that the initiative in all salvation lies with God. This idea that our salvation comes from our actions or conduct or our ability to please God is erroneous. Principally, it is God who takes the initiative to save us unmerited.
This text tells us that it was with God that it all started. It was God who sent his Son, and he sent him because he loved men. At the back of everything is the love of God.
2. It tells us that the mainspring of God’s being is love. The idea of a Policeman-God or a stern-looking old judge taking note or account of our sins, errors, and rebellion to punish us at the end of our lives is a human religious fabrication. This makes God a cruel creator and a sadist who takes pleasure in punishing us which he is not. God is love. (1 John 4:8)
God is the Father who cannot be happy until his wandering children have come home. God does not smash men into submission; he yearns over them and woos them into love.
3. It tells us of the width of the love of God. A love that is not particularized to a people, a nation, a thing, or an individual more than others, but the whole wide world with no exclusion.
A love for all mankind: good or bad, religious or irreligious, spiritual or un-spiritual. A love for the unlovable, the unlovely, and the lonely who have no one else to love them. Love towards the man who loves God and the man who never thinks of him.
The man who rests in the love of God and the man who spurns it–all are included in this vast inclusive love of God. As Augustine had it: “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.”
In summary, the gospel text of today lays out clearly who a good or true Christian is. By his reaction to Jesus Christ: The light of the world, a man stands revealed and his soul laid bare. If he regards Christ with love, even with wistful yearning, for him there is hope for salvation gracefully. However, if in Christ, he sees nothing attractive he has condemned himself. He who was sent in love has become to his judgment.
THE BRONZE SERPENT AND THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST
John refers to an Old Testament story given in Numbers 21:4-9 of the bronze serpent uplifted up by Moses in the wilderness to save the Israelites from God’s anger. On their journey through the wilderness, the people of Israel murmured, complained, and rejected the heavenly food prepared for them by God. For their willing rebellious act, God sent them a fiery serpent bringing death to many.
In its original context. This story pre-dated us to the story of the original sin of Adam and Eve. When through grudges, disobedience, and rejection of God’s providence and assistance, the serpent brought death to man through deception.
Consequently, the story of Israel rebelling against God and their punishment is a recapitulation of the story of Adam and Eve. In both instances, their acts of disobedience and rejection make them bring upon themselves death from the serpent.
THE POWER AND THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST
It is a very mysterious way to look at the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this context, the cross is linked to God’s love to save us. Truly, in Christianity, we always live with the consciousness that Satan and his angels are constantly seeking the death of Christians. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Peter 5:8)
The solution to this Christian perilousness is God sending His only Begotten Son so that whoever believes in him might not perish but come to have eternal life. This choicest decision of God to save us through an unmerited grace is a further emphasis in the constant battle of life, of the Christian life- between God and Satan, light and darkness, as well as good and evil.
Interestingly, in the gospel of John, darkness is seen as an image of Satan, evil, diabolic forces, or sins. The holistic context of the gospel text of today is that God who loves us does not condemn us to death because of our sins. Rather he would give up his only Son to save us from the diabolical clutches of Satan who seeks our eternal damnation.
Lent offers us a choice to be saved freely through God’s unmerited grace or to be condemned by our rejection of God.
REFLECTIONS OF THE BIBLICAL TEXTS
1. The Christian life is all grace and mercy.
2. The crucifix is not only the symbol of God’s love and mercy but also of the price of our salvation.
3. We need to love the cross, the symbol of God’s forgiving and merciful love:
4. The crucifix invites us to respond with more than compassion and it inspires us to remove the suffering of other people’s misery.
5. It encourages us not only to feel deep sorrow for another’s suffering but also to try our best to remove that suffering.
6. Hence, let us love the cross, wear it, and carry our daily cross with joy and encourage others to do the same.
7. We need to reciprocate God’s love by loving others. God’s love is unconditional, universal, forgiving, and merciful
8. The mercy of God encourages us to make our rebirth by water and the Spirit an ongoing process. As Christians, we are meant to lead a life of repentance and ongoing conversion.
9. Let us be bearers of Jesus and his cross by Lighting and carrying it to other people.
10. Jesus’ Light of truth, justice, holiness, and charity shining in our lives is meant to bring blessing to others.
Let us ask the Eternal Light and Truth that dispel the darkness of our failures and sins through the saving and redeeming GRACE of Christ! That we might joyfully anticipate Easter and so preserve through the remaining days of Lent.
Therefore, we need the mercy of God since we humans find it difficult to remain faithful. We are always unfaithful to God’s love, grace, and mercy. Let us ask God to grant us the grace to heed his warnings that with open hearts and minds at this opportune season of grace, we might be receptive to divine instructions and repent our sins.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, it was the Father’s unconditional love that brought you into this world to save us with unmerited grace and mercy. Help us realize always that our human and Christian life is all grace upon grace, in grace, with grace, for grace, and of grace with no merit of ours. An amazing grace that saves a wretch like us. Amen.
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