Daily Gospel Reflection

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March 10, 2024

Fourth Sunday of Lent
Jn 3:16-21
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Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“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.
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 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.

Reflection

Beth (Lohmuller) Grisoli '87, '90 M.A.
Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communications in the Office of Public Affairs and Communications
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I haven’t verified this in a scientific manner, but if today’s verse, “For God so loved the world…” isn’t the most quoted from Scripture, I’m positive it’s near the top. In my field, I constantly work to communicate a message in the most clear and succinct way. I give John an A+ here. This single sentence professes the very core of our faith.

Each time I reflect on this passage, it evokes something different in me. Sometimes, it’s overwhelming gratitude. Other times I’m humbled in an incomparable way. And sometimes it’s utterly beyond my ken, and I respond with one of my favorite prayers, “Lord God, I believe. Please help me in my unbelief.”

But often, this passage envelops me with the immeasurable love of our generous God. It feels like the swaddling warmth of a blanket fresh from the dryer. What did we ever do to deserve such love? We did nothing to deserve it. God loved each of us long before the moment we were created, and that love will be there long after everything has disappeared. For God so loves us, even in our broken, messy state, he gave his only son to help us find salvation rather than perish. The joy of this truth is a path through the sufferings of our world.

Today is Laetare Sunday. The Latin word laetare means rejoice, and John’s profound profession breaks through the dreary and somber moments of Lent to inspire boundless joy. In The Book of Joy, Archbishop Desmond Tutu sat down with his dear friend, the Dalai Lama, and they discussed how joy, unlike happiness, doesn’t depend on external circumstances. Joy is a state of being, an approach to looking at the world. We can alleviate our suffering through the discovery and practice of joy—a lasting joy that comes through the blessed promise God has given us.

Prayer

Rev. Herbert Yost, C.S.C.

Lord Jesus, we have done many things that we are ashamed of, things that we would prefer to be kept hidden. Yet we also need to remember that no sin is greater than your love for us. So please grant us the courage to stop hiding and come out into the light of your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.

Saint of the Day

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

The 40 Martyrs were Roman soldiers who were put to death in Sebaste, which is in Armenia today. The account of these martyrs is well-documented historically, and inspired great faithfulness in the ancient Church.

Around the year 320, the emperor of the eastern Roman empire, Lucinius, issued a decree ordering every Christian to renounce their faith or face death. When this decree was announced to the Roman army, 40 soldiers of different nationalities—all part of a famous “Thundering Legion”—refused to comply with the order to sacrifice to Roman gods. They were brought to trial in Sebaste, and the governor there threatened them with disgrace if they continued, and promised promotions for any who renounced their faith. They all stood firm.

The governor then devised a plan to test their faith. They were to be placed upon a frozen lake, naked and exposed to the howling wind, until they either changed their minds or froze to death. The 40 did not wait to be stripped, but undressed themselves, and encouraged one another in the ordeal. A fire and warm baths were prepared at the edge of the lake, and they were told that they could come in from the ice and warm themselves if they turned away from Christianity.

For three days and nights, the group endured. One young soldier decided to leave the group for the warmth of the baths, but the shock to his system killed him. One of the guards, seeing this disgrace, was inspired by the resolve of the remaining 39. When he was off-duty, he fell asleep by the fire and had a dream in which angels descended upon the soldiers on the lake and crowned them. He counted only 39 crowns, and decided to join them. He put down his arms and cloak, proclaimed himself a Christian, and walked out to the group on the ice, bringing the number of martyrs back to 40.

By the morning of the fourth day, most were dead, and the remaining were killed. All the bodies were burned in a furnace, and their ashes thrown into a river. The Christian community recovered some of the charred remains.

The family of St. Basil the Great—whose parents and three siblings are all saints—were among those who helped to gather what remained of these martyrs. The witness of these soldiers moved this holy family, as well as many other Christians, to greater faithfulness.

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who froze to death on an ice-covered lake instead of renouncing your faith—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.