God’s Love For Us Is Manifested In Jesus’ Sacrifice So We Can Be Saved

 

Our Gospel from St. John this Fourth Sunday of Lent quotes what is considered one of the best known verses in the Bible:

 “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.” (John 3:16) 

And yet, it is one of the most difficult for us to understand and to follow.

Covenants, Promises and Rewards

God’s relationship with His believers is based on covenant agreements that include disciples’ promises to do or not do something for which they are rewarded with eternal salvation as part of God’s plan of redemption.

 

Depending on which faith you choose to follow, the number of covenant agreements is recognized differently.  The Roman Catholic Church, for example, names five they consider official covenants between God and humanity: Noahic; Abrahamic; Mosaic; Davidic; and New.  Two not considered covenants are Adamic and Palestinian.  The two we address today are the Mosaic Covenant from the first reading of The Book of Exodus and the New Covenant from the Gospel of Saint John.

Parent – Child Relationships Are Complicated but Loving!

 

There is not a parent I know of who would not be devastated if they lost a child prior to dying themselves.  When our son was diagnosed with stomach cancer, it was touch and go, especially in those first few months due to the aggressive nature of the disease.  My wife, Candi, and I were not only in daily telephone contact but we took the hour-and-half drive several times to be with him, especially the day of his surgery and while he was in the hospital afterwards.  We wanted to make sure our only son was okay.  Now in his fifth year of recovery, he is doing well and has had no more incidents leading to a reoccurrence.

Lent’s Personal Reflection Can Help Us Find Who We Really Are!

Someone asked me the other day if Covid-19 has changed me, especially since the freedoms I once enjoyed have taken a back seat to quarantining, social distancing and wearing masks.  My immediate answer was an off-handed one in which I said, “probably, but it has been too long so I don’t remember.”  Looking back on this flippant response, it caused me to start looking into actual changes that have happened during this past year and where it is leading me.

Presence Is Our “Touch” Today!

 

St. Mark’s Gospel story and the Book of Leviticus today are about Touch.  The touch denied a person accused of having a skin disease called leprosy in ancient times and the touch of Jesus, the son of God, in healing a man so accused.  The leper is cured and can be reunited with humanity.  Jesus is considered tainted and must leave humanity to spread the word of God and heal those in need.

Healing in Our Struggles Requires A Prayerful Faith

My daily prayers for the last 20 years have centered on care, comfort and healing.  Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of those who are in need for a multitude of reasons.  Since the pandemic, the significance of peoples’ struggles is more pronounced than ever.  It is because of this, I believe our need to rely on prayer for what God calls us to do in service to others is paramount for healing to happen.

When God Speaks, We Need to Listen And Take Action.

 

History teaches us that change is a norm not an anomaly.  Whether that history comes to us in nature, from humans or by God, all of them have the power to give, take or create a future that we desire or do not want.  What we do with it becomes the very life with which we live and die.

Change is not only necessary, but Essential to Follow God

 Our Gospel and both readings for this Sunday illustrate three different ways God urgently appeals to His creation to change their lives to accept His ways rather than the worlds.  What we are missing, especially in the first reading for example, is the back story which gives us an insight how we as humans need to understand and sometimes find it difficult to accept God in our lives.

Listening to God’s Call Provides Insight into His Ways

God has always provided me with a questioning mind.  Sometimes that is a blessing and at other times a curse, especially when others don’t understand why I am doing it.  To them, the matter about which I am asking seems obvious.  The whispered comments I sometimes hear are that I am wasting time and is he that dense?  And at rare times it can be argumentative.  It is not that I don’t often understand, it is that I am looking beyond what the “obvious” is.

God and Man Together Offer Promise for Salvation

 

Jesus’ Baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist, establishes our first Sacrament and sets us on our life’s path to be a disciple toward salvation for ourselves and all who we touch on our journey.  It is the perfect relationship between divine and human because of the recognition of purpose for Jesus’ visit to earth and our acceptance that His sacrifice will allow us to be free of sin and death for life everlasting.  So why is it so difficult for humans, created by God, to recognize we are called by God to fulfill a prophecy of love, faith and hope no matter what is happening in our world?