4TH SUNDAY OF LENT, <<LAETARE>>, CYCLE B
Every year the Fourth Sunday of Lent, wearing pink, makes us realize that we have already walked more than halfway to the joy of Easter. The entrance antiphon of the Eucharist begins with the invitation «Laetare, Ierusalem», that is «Rejoice, O Jerusalem…» (Is 66:10). The liturgy of the Word of this day will remind us of the deep and inexhaustible springs of joy that God himself brings forth in the midst of every reality in which we live.
First reading – from the second book of Chronicles 36, 14-16. 19-23
God is still determined to walk with his people, even when they do not correspond to him. And when all seems lost (the temple destroyed, the people exiled…) God makes a new hope rise from the ruins. And he does it by a surprising, unexpected way: through someone outside the chosen people: Cyrus, the king of Persia. God’s faithfulness and mercy reach far beyond what we are capable of perceiving. Is this not a reason for profound joy?
Psalm 136:1-2. 3. 4. 5. 6 R. The psalm is a lamentation of the people in exile from Babylon. The refusal to sing the songs proper to Zion (of the temple) in a foreign land and for the amusement of the oppressor is intertwined with the purpose of not forgetting the Holy City «summit of joys». Cultivating the memory of the sacred places of our personal salvation history can help us to stay connected to what grounds us, even in the midst of the banishments we also experience at times.
Second reading – from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 2, 4-10
St. Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus (and to us) insisting that salvation is something that is already present («you are saved») and is a free gift of God («by pure grace»), whose love reaches further than sin («because of the great love with which he loved us, when we were dead because of sins, he made us alive again with Christ»). Salvation, grace, faith, love… These are words that we still use very often today. Let us allow them to touch our hearts again today, on Laetare Sunday, and fill them with joy.
Gospel according to John 3:14-21
In this Sunday’s Gospel pericope we hear part of Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a Jewish leader. The dialogue takes place at night, shortly after Jesus’ prophetic gesture in the temple. We are struck by the clarity with which Jesus speaks to Nicodemus of his death, of the salvation and light that he brings to humanity. In fact, we meet Nicodemus only twice more (and only in the Gospel according to John). It will be Nicodemus who will insist to those who wanted to kill Jesus that no one can be condemned without trial (Jn 7:50-52) and then who will bring myrrh and aloes for his burial (Jn 19:39). Jesus entrusts his being, his mystery also to people who are insecure, searching, doubtful, undecided… To Nicodemus, to his «hidden» dialogue with Jesus, we owe the great news that «God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved.» Is this not a reason for hope and joy?
Contemplate
- GOD IS SALVATION. Jesus reminds Nicodemus of one of the events that took place during the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land: «Moses made a bronze serpent and placed it on a standard. When a serpent bit someone, he looked at the bronze serpent and saved his life» (Num 21:9). He warns that «As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life». Lent places before our eyes Jesus crucified. And we can only accept the invitation to look at him and let ourselves be saved by him. God really cares about our salvation and wants it even more than we do: he wants us to live in his love forever. Let us look at Jesus and let ourselves be looked at by him.
- GOD IS LOVE. And because he loves the world, every person, every creature with an immeasurable love, he gives us everything: «God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved». Sometimes we fall into the temptation of thinking that God is very focused on looking at and searching for our sins, our faults, imperfections… And it is quite the opposite: he is very focused on loving and saving us. Surely we have the experience of feeling loved by someone (parents, grandparents, siblings, husband, wife, a friend…). And we know how valuable this experience of a free and sincere love is, even though it is so human…. How much more God’s love? It can do us good today to pray, to dialogue with God about his love and about our belief?
- GOD IS LIGHT. And it is significant that Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, who comes in secret and at night, about the light: «he who works the truth comes to the light, so that it may be seen that his works are done according to God». Nicodemus seems to have doubts: he perceives the truth that Jesus brings, but he is not yet able to give himself to it with full decision, in broad daylight. It happens to us too: we approach God with greater courage when we are able to name our truth, whether it is beautiful, poor or even shameful. We can be sure that Jesus also wants to speak to us, to remind us of the salvation, love and light that he brings. Let us give ourselves, on this journey towards the light of Easter, the experience of drawing close to God, of letting ourselves be illuminated by his light, of standing before him with all our truth.
Invitation
God’s salvation is already present in the reality of our lives. And while we could perhaps more easily name causes to be concerned about the reality of the world or our personal reality, faith invites us to joy: «Rejoice, O Jerusalem». Let us welcome the invitation to encounter Jesus in the midst of our nights, to welcome God’s love for us, to experience his salvation that reaches beyond what we are able to perceive, and to walk in his light and truth. Today is an excellent day to connect with the deepest wellsprings of our joy and happiness and to rest in God who is SALVATION, LIGHT AND LOVE.