This fourth Sunday of Lent is also known as Laetare Sunday, “Rejoice” Sunday, as the Church deems it pertinent to not forget the joy of basking in the goodness of our Heavenly Father, even within the austere penitential period of Lent. Yet, how important it is for us to understand what kind of happiness and joy the Lord wishes for us, as it is so starkly different from the stagnant joy that the world and its broken system tries to offer. The kind of joy Jesus has brought us, fills our hearts with the sweetest delights in this life, but it is also gives us the grace to strive for paradise with him in the next. Can it get any better? The kind of happiness he wants for us is so powerful, that even nailed to the cross, beneath that excruciating pain was a joy that this world can never kill --the joy of doing the Father's will, even and especially when it hurts. This is the joy that saw the Son of God eternally glorified at the right hand of the Father. It's the kind of joy we too, can all possess. "Thy will be done."
In our readings, we catch yet a deeper glimpse into the ever-present benevolence of the Holy Trinity and how everything we do is thanks to God’s wonderful goodness and grace. Through what we heard from Chronicles, even when the Lord has to punish us in some way out of love, he nevertheless accompanies that punishment with mercy. We heard about how Jerusalem had grown in iniquity rather than holiness, corrupted the Holy of Holies, and how the Lord had to send his people into exile. Nevertheless, when the allotted time came, God had allowed the Persian King Cyrus to conquer the world, and through even this pagan king, when the time was right, God liberated the Israelites from Babylon and allowed them to return to their home and to reestablish the sacrality of the holy temple in Jerusalem. How refreshing this must have been to the Israelites. An honest and just Israelite, capable of reasoning, would have reasoned like the good thief nailed to one of the crosses beside Jesus, “We are receiving the just punishment for our crimes.” The reasoning Israelite, would have humbly submitted to that time of purification and been glad to atone. It’s like when we go to confession and we know it’s not easy, yet we’re blessed and grateful for the opportunity, and we gladly fulfill the penance given by the priest. God brings us back, through some pain, and purifies us. It is like our Lord's parable on the prodigal son. He allows us to fall and will never shut the door in front of a child running back home to his Father. He leaves us free to love Him despite His suffering in seeing us running away. We do the same with our kids. On occasion, as parents we allow them to make a mistake when we see one is coming. Our hope is that they will fully know the consequence of not obeying an instruction which was meant to help them in some way. By feeling some kind of pain, they realize how silly it was to disobey. There is no salvation without fully understanding His deep love for us. Through suffering and freedom we get to choose Him and He opens His arms as we head back home." (1)
All of this is grace. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians reminds us that our journey is animated by God’s grace. Salvation is a gift from him, which we cooperate with. He doesn’t force it on us, but he alone makes it possible. We need to learn to live in greater reliance on his grace and providence. Saint Francis despoiled himself of material comforts more and more, not because he loved living in misery, but because it helped him to trust more in God’s providence, and hence, understanding and discerning the action of God’s grace in his life, he was able to live life to the fullest without the limiting hindrances we create for ourselves when we limit our hope to material things and the wealth to acquire those things.
In the gospel today, we hear of how Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about newness of life and second chances: unless a man be born AGAIN. Nicodemus at first couldn’t understand what the Lord meant. He was very immersed in the culture of ritual and so everything that needed to be done was already stipulated by the law and the prophets, yet he lost sight of what still needed to be fulfilled. Jesus was reminding Nicodemus that ritual is beautiful but it leads to something even more beautiful… the reality that it represents. So too, for us Catholics, where do we see ritual? In the sacraments… water poured on the head of an infant in baptism… wonderful! Water cleans, purifies, sustains life and so discern in this the spiritual power of this water, now meant to open up the gates of heaven, and free its recipient from everlasting death.
Jesus wanted us to be born again, and born again we were in baptism, yet every Lent, every day, he gives us opportunities to be born again, again—to build on what has originally been given to us, and to work those gifts that are within us and not let them lay dormant or stagnant, like a Bible collecting dust on our shelves at home. Instead, how fruitful, uplifting, joy-inducing would it be, to open up the pages of the gospel and just sit with the Lord for a while and the Light shine through? We hear in the gospel of today that the Light came into the world, not to condemn it, but so that through it the world may be saved. Jesus is the kind of light that does not hurt us. You know those powerful luminescent lamps that attract mosquitos only to zap them to death? Jesus, isn’t that kind of Light. Or, the sun’s light, which can damage your eyes if you look it at it for too long? Jesus isn’t that. His Light guides. His Light heals. His Light restores, replenishes, refines, warms our hearts. His Light doesn’t blind us from the truth, but rather reveals it in all its splendour.
Finally, let us also note the eternal ramifications of our readings. It’s not just about our well-being in the here and now. Jesus is saying that without Baptism (which is what he means in this context by being “born again”), a man cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Baptism frees us from original sin, inducts us into God’s household the Church, but it also gives us the key won for us by Jesus on the cross, to the gates of heaven—it makes paradise possible for us. This is why Jesus links it to him being “raised up” like Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert on the crotch of a tree… a very clear image of Jesus being lifted up on the cross through which he redeems humanity… gives each of us an opportunity to be born anew through the sanctifying water and the Holy Spirit given to us at Baptism. All of this, if you have noticed is a gift. It is all a grace. Even when we cooperate with God’s grace, it’s a grace. We can never forget Jesus astonishing words to his apostles, “Without me, you can do nothing.” And yes, nothing means nothing. Not a leaf falls from the branch of a tree without God permitting it to do so. Even what is evil in this world, nothing happens, without God permitting it. In evil’s case, his permitting it, does not equate to him approving or willing it. Yet, he permits it, a lot of times, for reasons known only to himself. For example, he permitted Satan to choose to rebel, and that he did to his eternal detriment. Yet, he gives us that exact same permission to choose whether we will choose life, or death.
Today, however, we are focusing on the fact that he not only has permitted us to draw close to him, but he has willed it, he has loved it, he has desired it.. because he loves us eternally and infinitely in a way that we will never fathom. Saint Francis understood this and lived this gift, with joy, with gratitude, with a desire to love him back.
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, let us be grateful for all the blessings the one and true God, our Heavenly Father has lavished upon us, especially for new life in his Son. Let us continue to discover more and more how joyful we can be, knowing that this His goodness, continues to overflow for all those who love him. May the Lord bless you and give you peace.
(1) Simona Gelao
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Like with the prodigal son, yes, He allows us to fall and He will never shut the door in front of a child running back home. I love how He leaves us free to love Him despite His suffering in seeing us running away. We do the same with our kids, as a parent I now allow them to make a mistake when I see that they are about to make one. We want them to fully know the consequence of not following our loving directions. By getting hurt they realize how silly it was to disobey. There is no salvation without fully understanding His deep love for us, through suffering and freedom we get to choose Him and He opens His arms.
Thank you for another wonderful homily!
Thanks for the comment Simona, very good point about how free the Lord leaves us to make our way back to him. Never any pressure. Such is the loving tenderness of the Father who teaches us with a wisdom that can only come from him.