THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
(II Chronicles 16: 14-16.19-23; Ephesians 2: 4-10; John 3:
14-21)
Let's recall for a minute the “great
recession” of 2008. The overvaluation of homes in previous years resulted in a
market crash. Many homeowners abandoned their mortgages causing several banks
to fail. Because there was no money to promote business, many workers lost
their jobs. There were other causes as well, but the result was difficult times
for many people around the world. Perhaps it was not as big a crisis as we just
experienced with Covid. But in this case the blame can be placed on definitive
people: the financial and government leaders who did not oversee money
speculation well.
A year after the "great
recession," Pope Benedict wrote an encyclical advising leaders of their
responsibilities. He emphasized what he called the "principle of gratuitousness."
He said that anyone who has a high position in government, business, or another
sector, must remember his or her origins. The executive did not reach the top
rank without the help of other people. There is no completely “self-made man”
or woman. All have had relatives, mentors, friends, and perhaps public support
that have contributed to their success. Therefore, in gratitude for what they
have received, they should take care of the good of others. This same
"principle of gratuitousness" serves as the key to understanding the
readings of Mass today.
The second reading of the Letter to the
Ephesians says that salvation came to them through the "kindness” of God.
It emphasizes that the Ephesians had done nothing to put God in debt to them.
Much less could they have achieved salvation by their own works since salvation
consists in eternal life. They only had to open themselves to grace by
believing in Jesus Christ. We are beneficiaries of the same grace with the same
benefit. We also have to believe in Jesus Christ to receive eternal life.
The gospel tells us what we have to do to
believe in Christ. It is not a matter of being born into a Christian family as
if salvation were one’s heritage. Nor is it a matter of saying "I
believe" as if faith were a word game. As the gospel indicates, the
believer draws close to Jesus, the light of the world. From him the believer
will learn how to live so that the world will see his or her good deeds. For
the most part, those who follow Jesus are the same ones who raise their
families in love and work hard for the good of everyone.
A lawyer was found in the church the other
day praying the Stations of the Cross alone. He and his wife raise four
children, taking them to Mass every Sunday and on major feast days. The man
works with a law firm that is especially helpful to the city's black minority.
Perhaps many here in the church resemble this man. In the words of Jesus, you live
the truth by coming to the light.
We still haven't said anything about the
first reading. It is part of the rich history of Israel. Because the people
rejected God's law, they were punished with exile in Babylon. However, God
forgave him and sent Cyrus to free him. Certainly these people were in debt to
God for their freedom. In gratitude they should have lived the truth by coming
to the light.
