March 10, 2024 / 12:01 AM
Today, March 10, the Catholic Church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Today’s Gospel reading is taken from John, chapter 3, verses 14 to 21 (Jn 3, 14-21). The text includes one of Jesus’ interventions as part of the nocturnal dialogue he holds with Nicodemus, a prominent man among the Jews and a Pharisee. The Son of God alludes directly to his redemptive mission that requires his passage through the cross, but that he must free us from sin and win for us eternal life.
Jesus remembers the episode in the desert when the people of Israel are attacked by snakes. Many die from the bites and God orders Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole: “When someone was bitten by a snake, he looked at the bronze snake and was healed” (cf. Num 21:8). -9). In a similar way, Jesus says, “this is how the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (Jn 3:14-15). God the Father has sent him not to condemn but to save. Therefore, whoever believes in Him will never be lost; However, whoever does evil and rejects the light will be the cause of his own damnation.
Pope Francis says: “This fourth Sunday of Lent the Eucharistic liturgy begins with this invitation: «Rejoice, Jerusalem…». (cf. Is 66:10). In the middle of Lent, what is the reason for this joy? Today’s Gospel tells us: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). This joyful message is the core of the Christian faith: God’s love reaches its peak in the gift of the Son to a weak and sinful humanity. He has given his Son to us, to all of us” (Angelus, Sunday, March 14, 2021).