Many times we as humans have doubts and questions like Nicodemus. We even doubt God’s goodness. Especially if something happened to us or to our family. During those times we ask: God, why are you so cruel, don’t you care about your creation? Don’t you love us? If you would love us, you would never allow this to happen to me.
In today’s Gospel we can see that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die, but may have eternal life.†So we have evidence that God really loves us. The question is: Do we truly love God? Do we recognize the light which came to the world? Or do we prefer darkness rather than light?
When I taught students in High School I heard many questions: Why do I have to do everything in this or that way? Why do I have to follow the Church teaching? Why does the Church not lighten up and ease some of her regulations?
Because of our free will we need guidance in choosing the light, in choosing the right, in choosing to obey the Commandments of God, the Church’s teachings, Jesus’ way. We need in accepting the right kind of light to triumph over the darkness.
Jesus came into the world to be the light of the world. Light tells the truth, about our age, what we are doing, who we are with, who is missing, what the story is. Light shows all the seams in our lives, where achievement meets failure, and promise meets pain. We may not want to see so clearly; but the presence of Jesus in our midst demands we do.
Because of God’s Love, we received from Jesus a wonderful gift; the gift of reconciliation. If I truly love Jesus, if I truly love the Light, than I would do everything possible to be with Jesus, to be in his light. And we achieve that light during our reconciliation with God.
God already knows what we did; good or bad things. But He wants us to come to him and tell Him all of that. And when He forgives us, we find a clean soul. We live in the Light again.
As we will raise the new Paschal candle in our Church (which symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus from death to new eternal life; from the dark into the Light) on Holy Saturday, in just a few weeks, we will be challenged to keep that light held high into the future.
The challenge is to walk to a future filled with eternal promise, with eternal light, with eternal life. Our opportunity starts today. The choice is ours.