This Sunday’s Gospel passage begins with the words: “God so loved the world that He sent the only begotten Son.” I wonder how many times throughout the years we have heard these simple yet powerful words?  John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous verse in the bible. It is because it says in one sentence what the whole bible is all about: God’s love.

God so loved the world. Man and woman were the crown of His creation. Yet they rebelled against Him through disobedience. Because of this, they no longer have the right to live with Him in paradise. Yet, God loves them just the same. He tried to win them back by sending them prophets, but their hardness of heart continued to displease Him. What more can He do? For the sake of love, He must intervene in man’s history if only to prevent him from eternal damnation.

As His last resort, therefore, God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to redeem His people. By dying on the cross, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the mankind. Now heaven and earth are once again reconciled. Yet, God respects the freedom He gave to man when He created him. God loves man but He does not force man to love Him back. That is why although heaven is open, man still has the choice to enter it or not. Although Jesus died on the cross for his salvation, man still retains the freedom whether to believe in Him and accept His offer of salvation.

God's purpose in sending his Son into the world is very specific: eternal life. And this is expressed in a very special way: it is a gift that can be enjoyed now, in the present. The changes that God's love brings begin here and now. Now, those who receive this gift must be very aware that they were "saved." In other words, their destiny was different, but thanks to the love of God they were rescued from that. This eternal life, this rescue, is received by 'believing' (see John 1:12). 

There is also a challenge for those who 'believe': they must come to the light (that is, to Christ) so the change that has occurred in them can be seen. With this we are informed that eternal life has practical consequences that must be noted from now on. The rescue that God does must be evident in the rescued.

John has given us his own reflection so that we can cling to the rescue that the Son of God gives us. His exhortation is to trust in the Son sent to us by God of love to enjoy this rescue that is available to us in Christ.


Please note: From 22 April 2024 to 25 May 2024, I will be on my annual holiday in India. During my absence the spiritual and pastoral needs of the parish will be taken care of by Fr. Gabriel Chadarevian and Fr. Gilles Simard, all other administrative needs will be handled by our staff.