Readings Acts 5:17-26; Psalms 34; Jn 3:16-21 “God sent His Son into the world as a means to offer salvation to all.”
The first reading from the Acts tells us that the Apostles are put in public prison, because they preached about the resurrected Christ. But the Lord’s angel opened the prison doors, brought them out and said: “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life”. They return to the temple to teach. Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed, wondering what might be going on: they were at a loss.
In the Gospel we continue to read the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus, the Pharisee who ultimately converted and is venerated as one of the early saints of the Church. We recall that Jesus challenged him as a way to help him to make the difficult decision to reject the malice of the other Pharisees, to become His follower. Throughout Chapter 3 of John’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about light and darkness, born from above, sin, condemnation, the Spirit and much more. But in many ways, all that Jesus taught in this chapter and throughout His public ministry can be summed up in this short and to-the-point statement: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life”(John 3:16). This short teaching could be broken down into five essential truths.
First, the Father’s love for humanity, and specifically, for each one of us, is a love so deep that there is no way we will ever fully understand the depths of His love. Second, the love the Father has for us compelled Him to give us the greatest gift we could ever receive and the greatest gift the Father could give: His own divine Son. Third, as we prayerfully enter more deeply into our understanding of this incredible gift of the Son, our only appropriate response is faith. We must “believe in Him.” Our belief must deepen just as our understanding deepens. Fourth, we realize that eternal death is always possible, and possible also that we eternally “perish.” That realization will give greater insight into the gift of the Son that we will realize that the first duty of the Son is to save us from eternal separation from the Father.
Lastly, the gift of the Son from the Father is not only to save us but also to draw us to the heights of Heaven, that is, we are given “eternal life.” This gift of eternity is of infinite capacity, value, glory and fulfillment.