A homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 14, 2021
2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23, Eph 2:4-10, Jn 3:14-21
Whenever some people hear this Gospel proclaimed or read it for themselves, they quickly jump to the second paragraph, known popularly by its chapter and verse: John 3:16.
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.
And that is a beautiful, powerful verse from John, perhaps the essence of John’s Gospel. That verse encompasses faith, hope and love, the bedrock virtues of our relationship with our Creator.
What it has to do with rainbow wigs and clown makeup at pro football games, I’ll never know.
But it’s the verse at the end of today’s selection from Scripture that’s worth exploring today.
[W]hoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Jesus is the Light of the World.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
When a child is baptized, the priest or deacon lights a candle from the flame of the Paschal Candle and presents it to the parents and godparents, saying, “Receive the Light of Christ. Your child has been enlightened by Christ, and this flame is to be kept burning.”
We who are baptized were enlightened by Christ.
Are our flames still burning?
Are we living the truth and coming to the light?
The simplicity, the prayer and the good works we practice during Lent give us a chance to make those flames burn brighter within us. The grace of the Holy Spirit will fuel our fires, if we welcome it.
And with a brighter light, the world will see that everything we do, with our faces to the light, is for the Greater Glory of God. And the people we serve will be inspired by that same Spirit to go and pay it forward.
Now, if you’ll permit me, a little wisdom from my Boy Scout days:
Sometimes at night, when it’s dark but not total blackness, it’s better to walk without a flashlight. Once your eyes get adjusted, you’re better off trusting your senses to find your way to your destination. You see like a cat. You find whatever light there is among all that darkness and find your way home.
Find your way back to the sun.
Find your way back to the Son.
In these dark times of pandemic challenges, when it sometimes seems like there’s no light to be had, we need to take a moment and let the eyes of our hearts and souls adjust.
We’ll see the Light. We’ll see that we can be that light.
We’ll see that the Light of Christ that’s burning within us will shine through.
And the Glory of God will show us the way to brighter days.
God always does.
