Living a New Life through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Sunday, March 26, 2006
Fourth Sunday of Lent
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23

Psalm 137:1-6

Ephesians 2:4-10

John 3:14-21

Click here for readings  (For quick review only; bring your Bible)

Ask a physicist to define light, and you might learn that light consists of electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye. Ask a biologist to define life, and you might learn that it manifests itself in growth, reproduction, and response to stimulus. Ask one of the writers of the New Testament, however, and you’ll get an entirely different answer. Most likely, you’ll hear that light and life are divine gifts from God given to us in Jesus Christ.

There is so much more to the Christian life than the “light” of intellectual understanding. There is so much more to “life” than simply surviving in this world. Endless galleries of divine revelation and unmerited grace exist that can bring us to a personal knowledge of God and his plan for our lives—to his own light and life.

Where do we find this revelation? In Jesus Christ, the Word of God. According to the Church, “in giving us his Son, God spoke everything to us at once—and he has no more to say” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 65). Now we can spend the whole of our lives digging ever more deeply into that revelation. “He is like a rich mine with many pockets containing treasures; however deep we dig we will never find their end or their limit” (St. John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle).

Why do we need the light and life of Christ? Because without him, we are dead. Scripture tells us that because of sin, we have forfeited our inheritance of divine life. The law of death holds sway over all of us, and there is no escaping it on our own power. Only the wooden cross and the open grave can restore this life to us. Faith in Christ can open so many more doors than we can imagine. Let us come to Jesus today and ask for a double portion of his light and his life.

“Lord Jesus, I believe that by your cross you have overcome my darkness and restored me to divine life. May I be like you, bringing light and life into a needy world.”

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1. In today's first reading, a pagan, gentile king of Persia, Cyrus, is inspired by the Lord to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after the "infidelity" and "abominations" introduced there by God's own people resulted in its destruction! God's own people had ignored his warnings and despised his word. What things in your life do you believe God may be asking you to change in order to live a life more pleasing to him? Do you believe that the Cross of Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling in you have the power to change and transform you?
2. The Responsorial Psalm reminds us of God’s faithfulness to his people, in spite of their own unfaithfulness. How strong is your conviction that God will be faithful to the promises he has made to his Church, the Body of Christ, in spite of its scandals and sins, and the persecutions and attacks against it? What steps can you take to pray and intercede more often for the Church and its leaders?
3. In the second reading, St. Paul states that God "brought us to life in Christ.... so that he might show in the ages to come.... the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ" (Ephesians 2:5-7). He goes on to say that we are Christ’s “handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Ephesians 2:10). What profound truths. In what way is your life an example to others of God’s kindness and the riches of his grace? In what ways are your Lenten observances making your life an even greater witness of Christ to others?
4. Share some examples of men whose lives and actions have brought the light of Christ into your world. What impact did they have on your life? How can you, together with the other men in your group, share the love, life, and light of Christ with others?
5. John 3:16 which is part of today's Gospel (and frequently appears at sporting events) beautifully and succinctly encapsulates the entire Bible: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." During Lent, how can you deepen your gratefulness for the price God had to pay to forgive you of your sins and bring you eternal life? Take some time with the other men in your group now to express your love and gratefulness to God for sending his Son into the world to suffer and die on the cross for your sins.
6. The last paragraph of the meditation begins with this question, “Why do we need the light and life of Christ?” How would you answer this question?

Come Holy Spirit!  ~  Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and en kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, you taught the hearts of your faithful by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit. In that same spirit give us your right judgment and the joy of your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer to St. Joseph  ~  Glorious St. Joseph, guide and protector of the Holy Family, we ask that you obtain for us from your son, Jesus, the strength and wisdom to lead our families to their Father in heaven. Most Chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we imitate your obedience to the will of God and be ever mindful of the vocation to which we have been called. Amen