HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 10TH MARCH, 2024

Readings: 2Chron 36:14-16.19-23; Ps. 137; Eph 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD STILL LOVES THE WORLD SO MUCH?

 

Today the Holy Mother Church celebrates Laetare ( Rejoice) Sunday, which occurs every fourth Sunday of Lent. It is a special Sunday when we have a brief pause on the penitential nature of the Lenten season to focus more on the joyful expectation of the glorious coming of Easter. Hence we are called to focus our attention on the joy that is to come in Easter in order to help keep our faith focused in the right direction. This we do, knowing that we are in God’s good hands despite whatever challenges we may be facing now. God loves us so much and will never let us be consumed by the ugly situation we are passing through in our world today.

 

Thus, in today’s celebration, we are called to have a little bit of relief from our disposition towards lamenting, regretting and being sorrowful over our sins in order to have a joyful disposition of hope towards the salvation and assurance of God’s love for us which will fully manifest at the resurrection of Christ at Easter. This atmosphere of hope and joy is evident in our first reading today, where we heard of the account of what had happened at the end of the southern kingdom of Judah in Israel.

 

This kingdom was destroyed by the Babylonians who overpowered them, because of their sins and disobedience against God. He made them suffer and endure humiliation, as they witnessed the destruction of their city, their temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, as they were taken to exile in Babylon, where they suffered shamefully for many years under the reign of the Babylonians.

 

But God did not abandon them. For he brought light and joy into their heart when he brought them back to their homeland through King Cyrus of Persia, for God still loved them and wanted to reconcile with them since they were his chosen people. This no doubt shows how much God loves his chosen people and will always desire to reconcile with them.

 

Little wonder, our Gospel passage today, talks about the relationship between God and the world.  Telling us that God loves the world and the humanity living in it. He loved it so much that he gave his only Son, who died a shameful and terrible death on a Cross for the sake of his love for humanity. But the question we need to ask ourselves now is: do you believe that God still loves the world? In the midst of all the problems and disasters we face every day can we still say that God loves the world?

 

This is important because it will help us to understand the importance of remaining firm in our faith in God.  We must acknowledge that God loves the whole world, for his love is total and unconditional for every one of his creatures. This he demonstrated on the cross where he poured out his love for the salvation of all humanity.

 

This love is what we are called to bear witness to the whole world. So, as we prepare ourselves in this Holy Season of Lent in repentant and sorrow for our sins, we are also called to be joyful because, we now have hope once again in the everlasting life and eternal joy that Christ will offer us on the Cross, through his suffering, death and resurrection. Thus we rejoice because we have seen the light of our salvation rooted in the loving heart of God for all humanity.

 

Dear friends, we have in one way or another experienced the love of God greatly and personally in our lives. It’s now time to bear authentic witness to this love for all humanity. We are to tell the world how deeply God loves us. We are to demonstrate this love to the world and let this love be felt by those who have lost hope in God, especially at this time when humanity is struggling with the ugly situation of inflation and its effects on our economy. For we are the face of God’s love now, we are the channels of his love and grace now.

 

Therefore, let us extend this love in any form, gesture or manner possible to everywhere that it is lacking. A kind word, a single phone call, a text message, an act of forgiveness, a single prayer, sacrifice, patience and any form of generous act shown to anyone around us or as many people we can reach out to today, reflect this love of God for humanity through us. Let us make Christ our light and love as we embrace his words today

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we have come to know and experienced your love for humanity in your words today, give us the grace to reciprocate this love in the world through our ways of life using the gifts, talents and resources you have given us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.