Daily Reflection – Mar 11, 2018

Sunday 11 March 2018

First Reading: 2 CHR 36:14-16, 19-23
Responsorial Psalm:
Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
PS 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Second Reading: EPH 2:4-10
Gospel Reading: JN 3:14-21

Today’s Note: Fourth Sunday of Lent

Gospel Reading:

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Reflection:

This is not from you; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

Paul is emphatic: we have been saved by grace, not by our own efforts. If we could have saved ourselves, Jesus would not have had to die for our sins.

So how are we supposed to understand the interplay between God’s grace and our efforts? First, it’s essential for us to believe, as Paul writes, that we are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Second, we need to recall Paul saying, just two verses later, that God calls us to do “good works that God has prepared in advance” (2:10).

Paul isn’t referring to individual acts of kindness or service here and there. He is speaking about a way of life. He is telling us that we, who were saved by grace, must respond to God’s gracious gift. And the best and only response we can have to this gracious gift from God is to try to be just as gracious as he is by doing charitable works of service for people in need.

Paul goes so far as to say that our charitable works are “prepared in advance” by God (Ephesians 2:10). In other words, we may think that our desire to reach out to someone in distress arose in our minds by itself when it actually came from the Holy Spirit.

God has put a desire for charitable works on everyone’s heart. But all too often people believe they are too busy to help. Or they believe their help won’t make much of a difference. The sad result is that there are still many people who are not getting the help they need.

Don’t let that happen! Resolve today to give back to the Lord through works of service. Lent is the perfect time to visit the sick or the elderly, to give to the poor, and to reach out to the wounded. It’s also the perfect time to get your children or grandchildren to join you.

“Lord, you have saved me. Now I want to serve you.”