Today’s Gospel Jn: 3 16-18 contains a statement we’ve heard many times over- in fact, so often that the passage starts to lose meaning for some of people. So we need to bring it back so it becomes important again.
To bring it back to life today we should try focusing on just one “key” word: gave. God loved the world so much that he didn’t just “send” his Son; he gave his Son! He was given as a gift to us. This gift is so incredible and wonderful that all we need to do is accept the gift, which means our believing in him.
But WAIT! there’s more. That precious gift of Jesus Christ has a purpose. If we truly believe in him, then the consequence of that gift is our salvation. If we refuse to believe in him, we have chosen to reject this gift. Such a choice, to reject Jesus, is to condemn ourselves.
How can this possibly be, you ask? How can we condemn ourselves? Again, we need to look at the consequences of our choices. To ‘believe’ in Jesus is to follow him, to become his disciple, and to live the moral life of unselfish love that he showed. Our good deeds flow from our discipleship, which in turn flow from “believing.” The Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us and strengthen us through the Sacraments instituted by Christ.
One who chooses to ‘reject’ Jesus, on the other hand may not be challenged to live a morally sound life. So, by choosing freedom from Jesus he has chosen a path full of obstacles that might become insurmountable. A life that starts with sanctifying grace (baptism) is not an option for such an individual because of his fundamental choice to be a disciple of something or someone other than Jesus.
God gave, and it’s up to you whether you’ll accept the gift and follow the example of Jesus. The most precious gift that God could give to us is his only Son. Jesus came so that the world might know God’s love for us.
To bring it back to life today we should try focusing on just one “key” word: gave. God loved the world so much that he didn’t just “send” his Son; he gave his Son! He was given as a gift to us. This gift is so incredible and wonderful that all we need to do is accept the gift, which means our believing in him.
But WAIT! there’s more. That precious gift of Jesus Christ has a purpose. If we truly believe in him, then the consequence of that gift is our salvation. If we refuse to believe in him, we have chosen to reject this gift. Such a choice, to reject Jesus, is to condemn ourselves.
How can this possibly be, you ask? How can we condemn ourselves? Again, we need to look at the consequences of our choices. To ‘believe’ in Jesus is to follow him, to become his disciple, and to live the moral life of unselfish love that he showed. Our good deeds flow from our discipleship, which in turn flow from “believing.” The Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within us and strengthen us through the Sacraments instituted by Christ.
One who chooses to ‘reject’ Jesus, on the other hand may not be challenged to live a morally sound life. So, by choosing freedom from Jesus he has chosen a path full of obstacles that might become insurmountable. A life that starts with sanctifying grace (baptism) is not an option for such an individual because of his fundamental choice to be a disciple of something or someone other than Jesus.
God gave, and it’s up to you whether you’ll accept the gift and follow the example of Jesus. The most precious gift that God could give to us is his only Son. Jesus came so that the world might know God’s love for us.
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