God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
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.
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned…
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.This passage begins with probably the most famous line from the bible. People hold up signs saying john 3:16 at football games, and wear trinkets with this passage listed on it. Why? God loves us all, and He wills the good for us. But before we were born God conceived us in His mind, He thought about all that we would do, and about what He willed for our lives. And He spoke a word, and we came into being. That word is your name, and that name contains everything that He wanted you to become. That name is not the name that the people of this world call you by, but it is a unique name that is only yours. But you will know that name when you stand before God in your final judgement, and he calls you by it. Your life, to the extent that you followed God’s will for you, will reflect that name, or it will be a denial of it.
St. John Chrysostom said “it is either that non belief is a condemnation because you are separated from God, and belief is the promise of future connection.” And this is the point. Your salvation or condemnation is completely your choice. Completely the result of how much you have lived out your divine name, or denied it. In each of our lives we have made big decisions. If our decisions aligned with God’s will for our lives, then our lives were peaceful, but when our decisions went against God’s will for us, then we experience the pain and suffering of our prideful denial.
Our condemnation does not come down from God, but is instead because of our free choice to separate ourselves from Him, and thus condemn ourselves. Those that do believe, are not condemned because their belief will suffice to give the grace needed to suffer the pains of purgatory, and eventually be with God in Heaven.
Our protestant brothers and sisters teach “faith alone” and they believe that all you need is faith to get to heaven, but that teaching is not written anywhere in the bible. In fact is it much worse than that. The Bible teaches many times in many places that the place of hell is very real. Whether you consider the story of Lazurus and Abraham and its clear description of heaven and hell, or the Marian visions at Fatima where mother Mary’s clearly warns of soul falling into hell. Or even by Jesus’ own words “be gone for I never knew you…”
We have strong evidence to believe that Jesus’s standards are higher than simple belief. Jesus said that “the luke warm he will spit out of his mouth.” Thus, I suggest that we need to be wary of our actions and that we are always directing our lives to the lord, while at the same time we also must learn to enjoy the world that God has given us. G.K. Chesterton, said (summarizing)… the world is a gift, and we are supposed to enjoy it. But we must do so with sober moderation. We cannot simply say we believe, and then go about doing whatever we want. The stakes are much much higher than that.
So the message today, is to ponder that name that God has given you, the name that is to reflect His will for your life, and then align your will to His will. This choice will determine your salvation or your condemnation, so choose wisely.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord help me to learn to enjoy your gift, while at the same time directing my life towards the your kingdom, and your mission for souls here in this world.