Reflection by Deacon Russ for 4th Sunday of Lent

Today’s Gospel contains one of the most quoted phrases in Scripture - John, 3:16. “And 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.” Some call this passage the heart of the Gospel. It paints a picture of a God so gracious, so giving, that the whole of creation is included in his life. God offers life to all who embrace Jesus.

Sometimes, people must wonder today if God still loves the world. In just the past year we have seen COVID-19, sickness and death, hunger, poverty, racism, insurrection, broken families, shootings, and all the rest of the familiar litany chanted by the anchor people on our nightly newscast. Sometimes we just want to flee this world. And yet, here is our Gospel this morning. Its radical good news is that God loves the world, and not only does God love it but he freely gave it the most precious gift, His Son. God insists that the world is loveable and that he loved it first, and is waiting for his love to be unmasked, uncovered and celebrated in the midst of all the world’s sin and struggles.

And yet, John says that some still choose darkness over light, in spite of being given the incredible gift of God’s Son. Certainly, it’s safe to say that we have not chosen darkness over light – at least not total darkness. But aren’t there times when we still try to block out that light? Aren’t there times when we still let those elements of sin and selfishness come into our lives? Aren’t there times when the attractions and pleasures of our world draw us more powerfully than does the cross?

A line in today’s first reading is heart-rending: “Early and often did the Lord send messengers to them, for he has compassion. . . But they mocked the messengers of God.” Can it be any clearer to us that God desires our love and our salvation? Lent is a kind of messenger sent by God and the Church for us to assess our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. Our Lenten penance is a contrast between dying and rising. But, if you’re like me, you might be asking just how much have I done this Lent? Have I increased my time for prayer? Have I gone out of my way to help those in need? Have I given up something that’s really hard to give up? How many of us have asked – just where is God in my life? Or have these last few weeks been pretty much like all the other weeks of the year?

Fort Hancock is on the farthest tip of Sandy Hook, which reaches out into the Atlantic on the New Jersey coast. During World War II it was a military training center. There’s a story about a civilian in the area who was eager to bring the good news of Jesus to the hundreds of soldiers stationed there. The military authorities would not permit him to enter in person. Not to be denied, he asked a company that specialized in novelties to make a thousand small hand-held mirrors. On the back of each mirror he had printed the words of John 3:16. Beneath these words, he had this direction: “If you want to see who it is that God loves, look on the other side.” As each soldier looked at himself he saw the person whom God loved. The next time you look in the mirror, remember – this is the person whom God loves. Sometimes we forget that God really does love each of us.

The final line of today’s Gospel says: “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” That is the challenge of our Lenten discipline. Remembering that we are dust and realizing how much we are loved by God, our response in loving actions should be wholehearted and spontaneous. And when we do that, the darkness will be replaced with the light of Easter morning.

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.