Untitled Homily

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary John 3

Ver. 14. This comparison of the serpent lifted up in the desert, upon which whoever looked was immediately cured from the bite of the fiery serpents, is a figure of the crucifixion of Christ on Calvary. And we remark, that our divine Saviour makes use of these words, the Son of man must be lifted up or exalted; (exaltari) by which form of expression he would teach us, that he does not consider the cross as a disgrace, but as a glory; (Theo. and S. Chrys.) and moreover, that as the Israelites, bitten by the fiery serpents, were cured by looking upon the brazen serpent, so are Christians cured by looking up with an active faith, replete with love and confidence, on Jesus Christ crucified.

Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, Volume 4: St. John 3:14–15

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. xii. c. 11.) But there is this difference between the figure and the reality, that the one recovered from temporal death, the other from eternal

earlier int he gospel - divinity. now Jesus’ humanity is exposed.

Exposing....

First reading2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23 ©

God's wrath and mercy are revealed in the exile and release of his people

All the heads of the priesthood, and the people too, added infidelity to infidelity, copying all the shameful practices of the nations and defiling the Temple that the Lord had consecrated for himself in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, tirelessly sent them messenger after messenger, since he wished to spare his people and his house. But they ridiculed the messengers of God, they despised his words, they laughed at his prophets, until at last the wrath of the Lord rose so high against his people that there was no further remedy.  Their enemies burned down the Temple of God, demolished the walls of Jerusalem, set fire to all its palaces, and destroyed everything of value in it. The survivors were deported by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon; they were to serve him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. This is how the word of the Lord was fulfilled that he spoke through Jeremiah, ‘Until this land has enjoyed its sabbath rest, until seventy years have gone by, it will keep sabbath throughout the days of its desolation.’  And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfil the word of the Lord that was spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom: ‘Thus speaks Cyrus king of Persia, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; he has ordered me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! Let him go up.”’Responsorial PsalmPsalm 136(137):1-6Second readingEphesians 2:4-10 ©

You have been saved through grace

God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.  This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.Gospel AcclamationJn3:16Glory and praise to you, O Christ!God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:everyone who believes in him has eternal life.Glory and praise to you, O Christ!GospelJohn 3:14-21 ©

God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved

Jesus said to Nicodemus:‘The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world,but so that through him the world might be saved.No one who believes in him will be condemned;but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son.On these grounds is sentence pronounced:that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil.And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it,for fear his actions should be exposed;but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light,so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.’

Fear. of the light

Leader of the Band / Washington Post March

Dan FogelbergAn only child Alone and wild A cabinet maker's son His hands were meant For different work And his heart was known To none -- He left his home And went his lone And solitary way And he gave to me A gift I know I never Can repayA quiet man of music Denied a simpler fate He tried to be a soldier once But his music wouldn't wait He earned his love Through discipline A thundering, velvet hand His gentle means of sculpting souls Took me years to understand.The leader of the band is tired And his eyes are growing old But his blood runs through My instrument And his song is in my soul -- My life has been a poor attempt To imitate the man I'm just a living legacy To the leader of the band.My brothers' lives were Different For they heard another call One went to Chicago And the other to St. Paul And I'm in Colorado When I'm not in some hotel Living out this life I've chose And come to know so well.I thank you for the music And your stories of the road I thank you for the freedom When it came my time to go -- I thank you for the kindness And the times when you got tough And, pap, I don't think I Said 'I love you' near enough --The leader of the band is tired And his eyes are growing old But his blood runs through My instrument And his song is in my soul -- My life has been a poor attempt To imitate the man I'm just a living legacy To the leader of the band I am the living legacy To the leader of the band.