Word to the Wise
Sunday, March 14, 2021 - 4th Sunday of Lent - B
[2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23; Eph 2:4-10; John 3:14-21]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. [John]
I haven't seen it in awhile, but in the past on a Sunday afternoon when watching professional football. the goal posts at the end of the field seemed to have a banner between them reading: JOHN 3:16! It was a unique form of preaching. The reference on the banner is to the lines from today's gospel scripture, especially the first sentence: 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. This is the very essence of the revelation on which our faith rests: Jesus is the one whom God has sent.
In the Gospel According to John, the "world" means the "world" of unbelief in which life goes on without any hope of a transcendent call to a life that only God can give. This "life" begins with belief, and not just with our physical death. Jesus speaks the words quoted above to a Pharisee named Nicodemus who comes to him "at night." At that point in John's gospel story, we do not know the impact of Jesus' words on Nicodemus. Later on we discover that Nicodemus spoke up in defense of Jesus and participated with Joseph of Arimathea in the disposition of Jesus' body after the crucifixion.. As with Nicodemus, so also with the Samaritan woman (John 4) and the Man Born Blind (John 9), the process of coming to believe may take time.
In parishes around the world today, congregations may witness the ceremonial "scrutinies" of those who will become members of the church at the Easter Vigil. Their stories of faith can be quite inspiring to us "cradle Catholics" if we have the opportunity to listen to them. We can easily take our "world of belief" for granted. Lent (and the RCIA program) provides us with an opportunity to get "reacquainted" with the One whom God has sent. Nicodemus, the Samaritan Woman and the Man Born Blind will be happy to share their stories with us in the Gospel According to John! AMEN
[Note to the Beloved Congregation. In many dioceses and parishes, the scriptures from CYCLE A are being used on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent because they are considered more appropriate for the RCIA ceremonies. I am using Cycle B because this is the year for that cycle. You can find several reflections on the Cycle A scriptures for this Sunday at my website <rbwords.com> by typing in "4th Sunday of Lent - A" in the search engine box at top right.]