Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3, 16-21
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.
God so loved the world
1. Believes in him. To believe in someone is not to have illusions about someone. To believe is to trust and to trust is to believe. But it also implies accepting the person in whom you believe. That’s why to live a life of faith doesn’t mean to live in illusions, but rather to have your feet on the ground, accepting reality, and facing it in the certainty of eternal life, assuming that you must fulfil your life through faith. When you live your life in faith, it’s not that you have more life, but that you know how to create more opportunities to live your life fully.
2. Condemn. We are not called to live a moralistic life, and we shouldn’t reduce our faith to a set of norms, because first we live and then we write. That was the experience with Jesus. Live the Christian experience, be encouraged to establish a close relationship with this God of life in your own way, knowing that there’s a community that accompanies you. Never give up looking for the presence of God who interacts with you and doesn’t control you.
3. The light. Life is the first gift, and the second one is freedom. You have the ability to choose. But it’s up to you to live in the light or to live in darkness. Darkness implies lying to yourself and sooner or later it ends, and it ends painfully. To live in the truth is to accept and assume reality. That can also be painful, but you know that you can live life fully, and a life of peace. Don’t lose heart, for God is with you and loves you.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
