Face of Jesus by Rembrandt
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.
This is arguably one of the most famous lines of scripture – and rightly so. No matter how much our human experience may make us doubt there is a God, or that God loves us, John’s Gospel is emphatic: God loves us unconditionally, faithfully, eternally!
God’s love is perfect, and expressed perfectly in his only Son, Jesus Christ. True love always finds a way to give itself, and we have received the love of God in the person of Jesus, as the Son of God. God desires to share his life with us, a life that is perfect and eternal. All that is necessary to receive this eternal life is to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
Faith: more than an intellectual act of believing. Faith is believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and because we come to believe in him and the life he brings – the salvation he won – faith also involves committing our entire life to Jesus, and cooperating with his ‘good works’.
Eternal life: more than a life without end. Eternal life is about quality of life – which is a life rooted in God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
The first reading today from the Second Book of Chronicles recounts the infidelities of the people, their many abominations and ways of polluting the temple of the Lord. The sinfulness of humanity was so great, even after the many messengers and prophets called them to renew their covenant (life) with God, the “anger of the Lord against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.” Wow – our sins are so offensive to God that we have no remedy – until Jesus.
Jesus is the remedy of God for our sinfulness. Jesus is the Light who illumines our darkness.
the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
We give thanks for the faithful love of God, whom we have received in Jesus, the Son of God.
Lord, strengthen our faith. Help us commit our life entirely to you, and to do the good works you have prepared for us, that all we do may be done in you, through Jesus Christ your Son.
Please take time to listen to God’s Word and the homily below.
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