Gospel John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. ”For 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.” For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Homily
Recently I was commenting to a group of friends that a well known person had been granted an honorary doctorate. One of the group scoffed at this bit of news and remarked that the only degrees worth the while are those that are earned. He did not see any real value in honorary doctorates. The culture in which we live often demands of us that we earn what we have. It is therefore very difficult for some persons to accept gifts which are freely given. They would like to give something of equal value in return.
This weekend we celebrate a Solemnity which reminds us of a gift freely given, a gift unearned and which is so precious that we can give nothing of equal value in return. John tells us “For 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.”
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I suppose that the way in which we have been taught our catechism allows us to think that we can earn eternal salvation. If we keep the commandments we have a right to be saved! That is not the issue however. The free gift of our salvation is already prepared for us. It was prepared not because of any merit on our part. It was freely prepared and freely given simply because God loves us so much. We have no right to it. We can accept it or reject it. We can say “Yes” to God who loves us and will continue to love us in spite of our infidelities or we can turn our back on God and his free gift to us. Our attempts to keep the commandments do not earn for us salvation, they are only the ways in which we say “Yes” to God and his free gift. We have to remember that there are only two commandments: To love God above all things and to love the other as Christ has loved them. We love them as Christ does because they have been created in God’s image and we recognize in them the God who loves us so much that he freely gives us the gift of salvation.
To know that I do not have to give anything of equal value to God to earn salvation gives me great hope. There is no way in which I can give back to God, anything or person as precious as his Only Son. I can only try to appreciate the gift, understand the Love and let that Love draw me to its source, God Him/Herself. I do not have to best God’s extraordinary gift, I only have to love.
This is what the lives of the saints have taught me and this is what I ask of God, to give me the grace to love Him and never turn my back on Him. On this anniversary of my Episcopal ordination I ask you my friend to ask God our Father, and Jesus his gift through the intercession of Mary our mother to fill me with the Spirit of love so that my life may lead those he has entrusted to me to God, source of this extraordinary gift of salvation.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, you want all persons to be saved. Help us all to understand that our gift of salvation is already there, packaged and waiting. Help us to understand that we will never earn it. We can only receive it or turn our backs on it. Help us never to turn our backs on this gift prepared for us only through love. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our mother and Jesus your Son. Amen
