Light and Dark
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We have been meditating on the life of Jesus and today we are with Jesus and Nicodemus during their night-time conversation.
John 3 There was one of the Pharisees called Nicodemus, a leading Jew, who came to Jesus by night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who comes from God; for no one could perform the signs that you do unless God were with him'. Jesus answered: 'I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God'. Nicodemus said, 'How can a grown man be born? Can he go back into his mother's womb and be born again?' Jesus replied: 'I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Baptism forgives us of original sin, floods the life of the Most Holy Trinity into our soul, making us adopted children of God and heirs to the Kingdom. Your Baptism should give you immense hope – you are on your way to Heaven and everlasting perfect happiness. Who wouldn’t want that?
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John 3:9 Nicodemus asks 'How can that be possible?'
To which Jesus responds: 'You, a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things!' replied Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. If you do not believe me when I speak about things in this world, how are you going to believe me when I speak to you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven…Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.
Faith is belief in the testimony of another person.
Jesus came down from Heaven to tell us things that go beyond what can be known by science and reason alone. Jesus came down from heaven to reveal the answers to the most important questions in life: where do we come from; what is the purpose of life; what happens after death; what is the meaning of evil and suffering.
Faith is to believe the testimony of Jesus. We believe Jesus because He rose from the dead, proving that He is God.
So faith is this: Jesus I believe you are God and so I believe all that you have revealed and I commit to live all you have revealed. For if I don’t do what you say it could only be that I don’t want to because I don’t like what you say; I prefer my way; my sin to your way, to your will.
Jesus I believe you are God and I commit to live all that you have taught us through the Catholic Church.
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Why would someone refuse to believe?
There are many reasons…
However Jesus tells us plainly what is at the heart of unbelief: People prefer the darkness of their sin to the light of faith.
John 3:18 No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God's only Son. On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.'
Jesus makes it painfully clear: Everyone who does wrong hates the light and avoids it. Why do we sin? Because we like it. We prefer our sin to God and in so doing, we willingly turning away from the Light. You see, faith is not about convincing people that what Christ teaches is right and they are wrong. Faith is more about recognizing that what Jesus teaches is good, it is the way to happiness after all these years that I have taken my own road that never led to happiness. Only when we see that what Jesus teaches leads to the happiness I long for will we believe. Now the question for You and I: Am I going to continue to follow my preferences and my way, the way of darkness or the way of the Light that ends in happiness?
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Am I turning toward the Light? How would I know for sure? Well, do I prefer to spend time in the Light, time with Jesus in prayer and receiving Him in the Eucharist? Am I sorrowful when I sin because I have offended Jesus and thrust myself into darkness? Do I want to please Jesus, meaning do His will?
The most important test of turning toward the Light is growth in virtue. Am I changing from vice to virtue? Am I growing from pride, envy, sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, criticism, gossip, hatred, lying, and resentment to humility, goodwill, spiritual zeal, meekness, generosity, temperance, chastity and so forth?
Am I growing in love – the choice to do what is good for others? For as John of the Cross writes: In the evening of life, we shall be judged by our love.
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Now the line in John 3 I skipped: And the Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.
What will draw people to the Light? His love. The Cross of Jesus is the chief expression of His love. What is the proof that God loves me and how much does He love me? Look to the Cross. He loves me that much. Will I love Him in return?