4th Sunday of Lent 2024 - Year B

John 3:14-21 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.

We can either walk in the light and or walk in the darkness. The light belongs to God Almighty and by the light we are able to know truth and live the life of righteousness; Christ declared: “…I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12. Darkness is the absence of light, the absence of God’s grace. The devil prefers the darkness where it is easy to hide and lead people into falsehood and wickedness. King Solomon stated: “The way of the wicked is as darkness:”

By refusing to "walk in the light" of God's Word, and conscience (1 John 1:7), we read in scripture says that the light that was in them has become darkness (Matthew 6:23); they know not whither they are going (John 12:35), and stumble (Proverbs 11:10). They stumble over difficulties which in the light they might have avoided. Our Lord says “Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.’” (John 12:35). They who walk in darkness blindly follow their passions. They want to “enjoy life” and think “God is no fun. Doing anything is better than doing what God wants.” And so God leaves them to their passions, Rom 18:24-25; Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonouring of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator,”

That being said, God came to save man who has been born in sin and darkness. Today’s gospel we read: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

To follow Christ requires faith. We must believe that He is God and that He is leading us into eternal life to unite us with the Father and Holy Spirit. This act of faith is similar to the faith the Israelite had to make when following Moses out of Egypt toward the promised land. The Israelites, however, continuously doubted Moses and complained about the difficulties of the journey. Doesn’t that sound like some Catholics who complain saying it is too difficult to practise the faith and go to Mass every Sunday, or praying the rosary everyday, or praying any prayer everyday.

Because the Israelites complained and doubted God tried correcting them. Christ alluded to one of these corrections in today’s Gospel, Numbers 21:6 “Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.” and even with these wonders and chastisements the Israelites still don’t truly want to follow God. God said to Moses, Numbers 14:21-23; “Yet as surely as I live [...], not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.” There are however some exceptions to this judgement against Israel and it those who had faith and truly followed Moses trusting in God, Numbers 14:24; “But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit it.”

Our Lord reminds us of the importance of faith. "And 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."

To inherit eternal life we must have faith and believe. What does it mean to have faith and believe? It means to live in a way in which we are prepared to meet God and live with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom. Going to God without preparing yourself would be like waking up and going straight to your wedding straight: hair in a mess from your bedhead, an unwashed face covered in drool, stinky breath from unbrushed teeth, slightly smelly and holey pyjamas. Jesus actually speaks about someone who actually did this in one of His parables, “‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The people of the world live for the things of the world, working hard to attain the pleasures, the treasures, the honours and the powers of the world. They believe the end of life is the end of the journey and there is nothing more to it. But living by faith is to walk in the light, knowing that life is just a journey, we know which direction we are to walk, and what lies before us and hope of the destination. Faith is to walk the path of Christ “small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”