4th Sunday of Lent (B) “Laetare”
4th week, alternate cycle
Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal booklet, March-April 2021
On this Sunday of joy, Jesus reveals to Nicodemus the infinite love God has for us: «For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son». This is the good news we should repeat to ourselves every time we wake up, whenever we face difficulty, discouragement, or doubt. We are not Christians because we love God. We are Christians because we believe that God loves us. The blazing heart of the Gospel is the beauty of God's love, which Jesus showed, lived, and gave.
FIRST READING
From the Second Book of Chronicles (2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23)
In those days, all the leaders of Judah, the priests, and the people multiplied their unfaithfulness, imitating in every way the abominations of the other peoples, and they defiled the temple that the Lord had consecrated in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent his messengers promptly and unceasingly to warn them, because he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words, and ridiculed his prophets, until the Lord's anger against his people reached its peak, with no remedy left. Then [his enemies] set fire to the Lord's temple, demolished the walls of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its precious objects. The king [of the Chaldeans] deported to Babylon those who escaped the sword, and they became his slaves and the slaves of his sons until the Persian kingdom came to power, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah: «Until the land has made up for its Sabbaths, it shall rest throughout the time of desolation until seventy years are completed». In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, who had this proclamation made throughout his kingdom, also in writing: «Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has charged me to build him a temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to his people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!”». – The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
«The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent his messengers promptly and unceasingly to warn them, because he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place»: God never fails to warn his children promptly and unceasingly so that they may repent of their evil deeds and be converted, retrace their steps, and be saved. God leaves us free to choose but, like a mother who watches over her little ones to protect them from every danger, God likewise does everything to suggest and awaken the desire to return home, where he awaits us whenever he sees us wandering far away toward dangerous destinations. He has compassion on each of us, even when we find ourselves in the deepest abyss of our falls and all human hope fails; he is always ready to extend his hand to lift us up; he never condemns us, and we alone would condemn ourselves if we turned our backs on him, rejecting his help and love. Let us therefore hold on to his hand and allow ourselves to be lifted up and guided attentively. Let us always be careful to recognize his inspirations.
SECOND READING
From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (Eph 2:4-10)
Brothers and sisters, God, rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ: by grace you have been saved. He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the extraordinary riches of his grace through his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not from you, but it is God's gift; nor is it from works, so that no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we should walk in them. – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
«Because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, he brought us to life with Christ». Many years ago, detergents did not exist; grandmothers used hot water and wood ash to do the laundry, and even the blackest cloth would come out spotless and immaculate, clean. We can use this ancient practice metaphorically: Christ comes to draw us out of the ashes of our defeats and falls, which often take away even our joy of living. We have the opportunity to let his grace wash us, by virtue of his love, and come back to life, just like our grandmothers' laundry. Saved not by what we do, but by his immense, everlasting love. Every journey is marked by many steep and difficult climbs, and falls are inevitable, like dirt, but Christ knows well what we are made of and does not leave us without a remedy for our falls. What role does the sacrament of Reconciliation have in my life? Is it a frequent milestone on my journey of faith? Do I feel like a beloved child? Do I give in to my changeable feelings, going to confession only “when I feel like it,” or do I find the courage to choose specific times to experience the sacrament of Forgiveness?
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to John (Jn 3:14-21)
At that time, 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-begotten 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 is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light came into the world, but people loved darkness rather than light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works may not be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes toward the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been done in God». – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
«The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life». On the cross, the fullness of Christ's love for every person was realized. To look at, or rather to welcome, this immense gift means having one's life saved, not only this earthly life but also eternal life. Welcoming him means allowing ourselves to be loved, allowing him to restore life to the best that is in us, his likeness, an indelible imprint that distinguishes us. We are capable of loving because we are loved, and this is our true wealth. Let us not trade it for nothing. Every person is called to be happy, to live fully, if only they so desire. It is therefore essential to know how to choose whom to let guide us: the One who gives life or the one who deceives? Asking ourselves a few questions is therefore essential and helps us assess the path we have taken, certain that we are never alone: he always walks with us. Jesus' being lifted up does not take place according to human criteria, but consists in the lowering of washing the feet and, above all, in the gift of his own life on the cross. It is the way to eternal life, «to serve is to reign», for Jesus as well as for us.
