4th Sunday of Lent – Jesus and Nicodemus (Jn 3:14-21)

Jesus, the Light of Love

Introduction

- John’s gospel is known as the Gospel of Light. He portrays Jesus as the Light of the world.

- Jn 8:12 – “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me never walk in darkness”. Jn 1:4 – ‘Word is the light of men’. (v.9) – ‘true light was coming into the world’.

- Darkness here is considered as evil, unbelief or ignorance.

Content

- Darkness as absence of Divine

o In the background of today’s gospel passage it is said, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. It shows that he was in ignorance who wanted to be enlightened by Jesus.

o In John 13:30 it is written, “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night”. The word ‘night’ shows his evil intentions.

- Evil takes place in dark. But sometimes people love dark rather than light.

o There is a story of a man who woke up hungry in the middle of the night. He lit a candle and began eating grapes from a bowl beside his bed. He took a bite from one and saw a worm in it; so he threw it out of through the window. He bit into the second grape, found another worm, and threw it away also. Reasoning that he wouldn't have any grape left to eat if he continued to look at it in the light, he blew out the candle and quickly ate the rest of the grapes.

- Come to the light, is our call as disciples of Jesus.

o To come to the light (to escape from the poison of the snake that was an evil) what Israelites did is explained in the gospel. They made a bronze serpent and raised it up on a pole. Those who looked at that bronze serpent were saved and delivered from the darkness (of poison or death).

o To escape from the evil that surrounds us is our wish and the only way is to look up to Jesus who is raised from the ground on the cross.

o What are the evils that engulf us? It can be our bad habits, evil thoughts, braking of commandments, unwanted worries and tensions, sufferings, etc.

o In order to come to the light, we have to look at Jesus who is crucified.

- When we look at the cross we see the love of our Heavenly Father.

o He loves us so much that He gave His only Son for our salvation.

o God’s love is entirely different from what we practice. Our love is possessive, limited and conditional. God’s love is self-giving, limitless and unconditional. These qualities make the Father’s love unique.

o We are called to enjoy and share His love.

Conclusion

- By enjoying God’s love we are called to come to the

o Light of Conviction,

o Light of Conversion,

o Light of Communion and

o Light of Consecration

- During this Lenten season let us come to Jesus the light of the world and purify ourselves by that Light.

3rd Sunday of Lent – Cleansing of the Temple (Jn 2:13-25)

The Purpose of Temple / Church

Introduction

- Every place has a purpose. For example, park – a place to rest and relax, school – a place to learn, theater – a place to express the art forms.

- What is the purpose of a temple / church? Today’s gospel gives us a clear answer.

- Jesus cleansed the temple and gave us a model that we, the disciple, also should reflect on how we make use of the temple / church.

- The temple / church can be the building or myself. ‘We are the temples of the Holy Spirit’ (1 Cor 6:19).

Body

- The temple / Church is meant for three ‘Rs’- Relationship, Reliance, Reconciliation.

o Relationship

§ When we come in the presence of God in the church we grow into the deeper conviction that God is our Father and those who are with us our brothers and sisters.

§ It is the time to put right our relationship with God and neighbor.

§ It reminds us our duty to adore and praise God, and love our brethren.

o Reliance

§ In the church we feel that we are not alone in our life journey. We are with Jesus, our strong hold.

§ In agony, tensions and worries when we visit the church we get relief and strength.

§ It is a call to grow in the conviction that ‘the powerful God is with me’.

o Reconciliation

§ Mt 5:23 – ‘Therefore if you are offering a gift at the alter and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift’.

§ Church is a place to decide for reconciliation. It is the place to begin the process of forgiveness. It is the place to forgive those who have harmed me.

Conclusion

- Lent is a season when we have to think of our participation in the liturgies in the church. Let all the prayers of us may guide us to ‘relationship’, ‘reliance’, and ‘reconciliation’.

- It is also a time to think about our body ‘the temple of the Holy Spirit’. Our body is to used for glory of God. Or else we may be misusing this temple.

- Let this lent be a time to correct ourselves and grow towards the divine.

2nd Sunday of Lent – Transfiguration (Mt 9:2-10)

Be like our Master

Introduction

- If we ask small children ‘who do you want to become’ most of them would say, ‘I want to be like my father/mother.’ Some psychologists are of the opinion that boys see their father as a role model to follow in their early childhood and girl their mother. It may change when they are more exposed to the world.

- In the same way as above, what should be the aim of a true disciple? To be like his/her master. Our aim is to be like Jesus. “It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master” (Mt 10:25).

- We may not achieve our goal ‘become like Master’ in a perfect manner, we can try for a good result. How to try to be like our master who was perfectly a man of the Holy Spirit? The event of transfiguration gives us some clues.

Body

- They went up to a mountain with Jesus.

o Peter, James and John had the experience when they went up on the mountain as Jesus instructed.

o Climbing the mountain is essential for God experience. It means readiness to work hard to attain God experience.

o ‘Jesus guided them in their way to the mountain’. It is important that when we do hard work, we do it according to the instructions of Jesus that is revealed in the Word.

o Jesus says, ‘those who want to follow me must deny him, take up his cross and follow me’ (Mt 16: 24). He never wishes us to run away from the reality but to face it courageously.

o Lent is the time to discipline our mind for this climbing – by practicing self control.

- They remained with Jesus

o Peter, James and John remained there on the mountain looking at Jesus.

o Our prayer time, both vocal and meditation, is necessary for God Experience. During our prayer time we ‘look at the face of Jesus’ and remain in that stillness.

- Readiness to come down from the mountain

o After the experience Peter wanted to remain there. He said ‘let us make three tents. It is good to be here’. But Jesus invited them to decent. He was explaining them the way to resurrection that is ‘through suffering and death’.

o The experience of Jesus should make us courageous to take up the daily crosses as per the divine will. It should not take us away from the reality.

Conclusion

- Our life is a cycle of experiences. There are experiences of climbing, being in ecstasy and climbing down the mountain. We also may feel to be in the divine experience for ever as disciples wished. But Jesus said to them to climb down. The final experience of resurrection has a long way to go. The way to achieve that glory is through suffering and death by fulfilling the will of Heavenly Father.