Homilette for April 3, 2008

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

(John 3:31-36)

We should take note of who is speaking in this gospel. It sounds somewhat like Jesus himself. We may remember the gospel passage yesterday where Jesus tells Nicodemus that “’God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Today’s passage is remarkably similar. The speaker proclaims, “’Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life...’” The speaker, however, is John, whom we call “the Baptist.”

The reading does not give us the context of John’s testimony, but we can easily find it by referring to the whole gospel. Jesus has left Jerusalem and gone into the country of Judea where John is baptizing. The text shows Jesus baptizing many people and John’s disciples worried that Jesus is encroaching on John’s turf. However, John -- the true prophet that he is -- offers no protest. On the contrary, he utters his famous submission, “He (Jesus) must increase; I must decrease.”

Today’s gospel lays out a challenge for us. What is the “eternal life” it speaks of in comparison to the many ways we have to gratify ourselves? Is it better than high definition television, central air and heating, vacation cruises? Perhaps more to the point, can we be assured of “eternal life” as much as modern luxuries are affordable to us? Our celebration of Easter buoys us up so that we might answer these questions with sense and conviction. “Eternal life” is companionship with the risen one. It far exceeds anything the world has to offer because it provides a joy not limited to time and space. Just as surely as Jesus rose from the dead, we will experience “eternal life” when we, like John, submit to him.

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