John 3:14-21

2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23

Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

Ephesians 2:4-10

John 3:14-21

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.”

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.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 

but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, 

but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, 

because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the verdict,

that the light came into the world, 

but people preferred darkness to light,

because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light

and does not come toward the light, 

so that his works might not be exposed.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, 

so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

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.

Encountering the Word of God

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?