| Reading 1 | Response | Reading 2 | Gospel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23 | Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 | Eph 2:4-10 | Jn 3:14-21 |
| RCL: Num 21:4-9 | RCL: Eph 2:1-10 |
| Lectionary note: Scrutinies |
|---|
| On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent, the Lectionary offers two sets of readings. Masses that include catechumens celebrating the Scrutinies use Year A readings; all other masses use Year B readings. This reflection uses Year B readings. |
| Liturgical note: Lætare Sunday |
|---|
| The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lætare Sunday. The Latin verb lætare (lay-TAH-ray), which means “rejoice!” or “be joyful!”, comes from the entrance antiphon for the day: Lætare Ierusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam. Rejoice, Jerusalem, and come together all who love her. The liturgical color for Lent is purple, a color that reminds us of our need for metanoia: conversion and change. Lætare Sunday’s liturgical color is rose, a color that represents joy. This Sunday marks Lent’s approximate mid-point, a day to rejoice because Easter is now within sight. Traditionally this day was a day of relaxation from normal Lenten practices. |
Lent: all good gifts
In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, cleanses the temple, explains how God loves, and announces his hour has come. This week’s readings ask us to think about God’s gifts to us.
The first reading is from the book of Chronicles, written in the fourth century BC. Chronicles retells Israel’s history from Adam through the monarchy’s end. In today’s pericope, the Chronicler describes the Babylonian exile and the Jewish people’s return. He describes exile as a divine punishment for ignoring the prophets (“they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets”). Because they rejected God’s prophets, the people “were carried captive to Babylon, where they became slaves.” The Chronicler concludes the exile on a positive note: Cyrus urges the exiled people to go back to their native land (“let him go up”). (The Chronicler presents Cyrus as believing in Israel’s God, but Persian court records show him as a polytheist.) The Lectionary editors chose this reading as part of Lent’s stories of highlights from salvation history.
The second reading is from the letter to the Ephesus ekklesia, written by an unknown author at the end of the first century. In today’s pericope, the author focuses on the gift of God’s grace. Some scholars believe that these verses are part of an early Christian hymn that celebrates God’s blessings and richness. Although believers were spiritually “dead” because of sin (“our transgressions”), through baptism they are “brought to life” with and through Christ. The parenthetical “by grace you have been saved” reminds hearers that God initiates salvation as a gift. God’s gift of grace saves us because of our faith or trust in God, not because of our actions (“works”). God created humans in Christ to do good works. This creation by God is through God’s “new creation” in baptism. God has chosen the good works beforehand (“prepared in advance”) that God wishes the believer to accomplish through his or her life (“should live in them”). The Lectionary editors chose this reading because its theme of God’s gift matches the gospel’s theme.
John’s gospel is from Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. In this first discourse, John reveals how Jesus will be “lifted up,” how Jesus saves rather than judges, and how we bring judgement on ourselves.
- The meanings of “lifted up.” Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Nm 21:4-9) to save the lives of the Israelites; the Son of Man will be lifted up on the cross to give eternal life to all who believe in him. Jesus’ “lifting up” has double meaning: he is first lifted up on the cross (his transformational death) and he is then lifted up by the Father in resurrection and glory (he is exalted at the Father’s right hand). Those who believe in this revelation gain eternal life.
- Jesus comes to save, not to judge. In Jesus’ time, some Jews believed that the messiah would come as a judge to condemn those who didn’t keep the Law. John has already stated Jesus’ mission in his Prologue: to empower humans to become God’s children (Jn 1:12). God’s gift to the world is the Son; the Son’s gift is the cross, which enables the believing ones to be saved.
- Our own choices and actions judge us. Jesus doesn’t come to judge because the one who does not believe has already condemned himself or herself. In John’s realized eschatology, we don’t need to wait for the end of the world to hear God’s final judgement. Each person judges himself or herself by accepting or rejecting God’s revelation in and through Jesus; a person’s actions (good or bad) flow from his or her choice.
Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask us to reflect on God’s gifts through history and on God’s gifts in our own lives. The Chronicler recounts God’s return of the captives from exile in Babylon. The Ephesians’ author meditates on God’s saving grace. John explores Jesus’ lifting up in salvation and glory. What unwarranted gifts have we received? How has God facilitated our return to someone who we lost? When has God surprised us with grace in desperate times? How has God lifted us up to save and glorify us?
—Terence Sherlock
The Lectionary In Context 