THE CHRISTIAN LIFE: UNMERITED GRACE
The Christian life is an unmerited grace 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.
Being a Christian is not because you are virtually good, not because you are holy, not because you go church or you are a member of the clergy, religious, or one pious group like charismatic renewal. Or it is because you are a member of a religious association or movement in the Church. It is the grace and mercy of God that we are who are today.
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.
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).
As on Gaudete Sunday in the Advent season, rose-coloured vestments may replace violet, and flowers may grace the altar, symbolizing the Church’s joy in anticipation of the Resurrection of Our Lord. 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. The readings also emphasize that this redeeming or saving grace can come through any human or available medium or channel to save 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.
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 FIRST READING: 2 CHRONICLES 36:14-23
The Second Book of Chronicles, 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: 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.
Israel has 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, forgive and restore 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 using King Cyprus of Persia to single-handedly save and restore Israel without any merit of theirs.
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 Babylonian exile of the twelve tribes of Israel, only two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) returned from horrific exile.
The rest ten tribes were lost forever. Hence, it was an unforgettable experience for them. This is beautifully and expressively captured in the psalm of today. Here are some phrases of the psalms: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept remembering Zion.” “It was there that they asked us, our captors for songs….” “How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?” “If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither! Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth”.
Indeed, this is a lamentation or wailing of deep bitterness and shame. As well as one of nostalgia about their glorious past with an undying commitment to remember forever their Motherland: Jerusalem and the temple.
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 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 “holier than thou” or 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 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.
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 our conductor in 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 ideal 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 unspiritual. 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.”
LOVE AND JUDGEMENT
The gospel text presents us with a deep paradox of God’s love and judgment. A tender love that saves despite our state of unworthiness with the unmerited grace of salvation.
Yet, there is condemnation for those who reject this infinite love of God. They are not condemned by God Himself but by they who reject God. They condemned and excluded themselves from God’s love.
God sent Jesus in love. He sent him for that man’s salvation, but that which was sent in love has become a condemnation. It is not God who has condemned the man; God only loved him; the man has condemned himself.
THE LIGHT AND DARKNESS
How was man’s condemnation of himself possible in the unlimited or unmerited grace of God? John gave us the answer in a simple straightforward way. When he asserted: “the light (Jesus Christ) came into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil.
It is a man who reacts in hostility to Jesus who has loved him unconditionally and willingly sacrifice his life for his salvation. By his preference for the darkness rather than the light, man condemns himself through his exclusion from God’s love, grace and mercy.
There is a popular saying which goes like this: “light is light and darkness is darkness. They never will or can meet, (as the tiniest light always enlightens or dispels the thickest darkness).”
A true and authentic Christian cannot be for both light and darkness. The true Christian life is live within and always with the unquenchable light of grace. Where there is darkness or alteration of darkness God is never present.
In summary, the gospel text of today lays it out clearly who a good or true Christian is. By his reaction to Jesus Christ: 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 him, 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 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 rebelled 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.
This typology of the uplifted bronze serpent with Jesus being lifted points to the mystery of the cross. On the cross, Jesus takes the sins of the world or humanity upon himself. He is also taking the principle weapon of devil-death itself upon himself, to put death itself to death. Thereby bringing healing and granting unmerited grace to humanity.
St. Paul’s in 2 Cor. 5:21 states that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” that is, Christ became the sin-bearer where he puts our sins upon himself our deserved death as a consequence of our sins. So, we might be saved and have eternal life.
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 further emphasized 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 for the diabolical clutches of Satan who seek our eternal damnation.
Lent offers us a choice to be saved freely through God unmerited grace or to be condemned by our rejection of God.
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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