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March 14, 2021The Gospel of John this Laetare Sunday tells us, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Even at the lowest points of human history, through the worst evils and most hideous sins, God did not abandon the world. The Psalm reveals the Lord’s tenderness towards his creation: “If I forget you Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten!” There is much darkness in the world, but there is also light. Rather than leaving the world to fester in its sin, God became like us so that he could save us. God knows our intrinsic goodness as his creation, and his mission is to continually help all of us step into the light and see our goodness through his Son.
What does this mean for us today? The readings tell us how God sees the world, and we must see it the same way. We must resist the temptation to condemn the world as irredeemable, to turn inward, hunker down, and become preoccupied with our personal salvation without any thought for our neighbors. God has not abandoned the world, and neither can we. If we truly live in the light of Christ we will continue to evangelize, to witness the Christian life, and to bring the light into the darkest places. “Laetare” means “rejoice,” and today we can take time to rejoice and celebrate in the middle of Lent because “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.”
