THE LIGHT HAS COME…

2 Chronicles 36:14-17,19-24

14 All the leading priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; 

16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged; he gave them all into his hand. 19 And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels.

20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years. 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 

23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.'” 

Ephesians 2:4-10

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, 

5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 

6 and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — 

9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

John 3:14-21

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

20 For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING chronicles the unfaithfulness and disobedience that prevailed in Jerusalem to the extent that even the temple was polluted. In an effort to reconcile the people to God who send the prophets, but not even they were spared being percecuted by the people!

A remnant escaped the tarrany of destruction that saw the rebuilding of the kingdom in Persia where the people continued to keep the Sabbath! Finally King Cyrus “was moved” by the prevailing events which gave rise to his proclaimation to build a new temple in Jerusalem. This story examples God’s continues commitment to the promise to deliver the people and not give up on them.

St PAULS EPISTLE beautifully illustrate God’s mercy and forgiveness which emanate from His eternal love of us His children. We have been saved by grace which is a free gift of God that occured when Jesus offered His life for us. Paul wish to emphasize that our being saved has nothing to do with our “works,”lest any man should boast that they orchestrated that God send His Son!

Paul emphasize that God did not send His Son because of ‘fruits’ of the 613  “works of the law” rules that  the Israelites mandated. God desired that His people be obedient and walk in His way, therefore He send His Son to redeem us. Thus when we submit to Christ, we are recreated and reformed “for good works” (v10) in and through Him by walking not in our ways, but in His ways! 

St JOHN’S GOSPEL takes us back to the event when the people “spoke against God and Moses” apparently because there was “no food and water” which contradicted their follow on statement whereby they denounced the food they had! (Num 21:5) which led to the invasion of fiery serpents that caused many deaths! Finally, to reverse the calamitous situation, Moses was tasked to fashion a bronze serpent that became an instrument of healing and reconciliation to all who looked upon it!

St JOHN holds up Christ as the light of the world for those who desire mercy, forgiveness and His eternal love. The crucifix that hangs above the sanctuary in every Church around the world purposely bears the six holy wounds of Christ that was inflicted as a result of our disobedience and sinfulness. By looking up to the cross and prayerfully meditating on each of the wounds, we are called to reorder our lives and reverse our disparate way of reasoning and living which led to our state of sin and suffering! The cross of Christ is also a sign of suffering, repentence,  healing, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation that intends to dispel a life of darkness and move us to a rebirth in and through the light of Christ Jesus alone, which we receive in the Holy Sacraments our Lord instituted! 

LET US PRAY: Psalms 137:1-6

1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 

4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 

6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

catholicwitnessct@gmail.com    Henry R SYLVESTER              

Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days of saints around the world