“And because God's love is uncoercive and treasures our freedom - if above all he wants us to love him, then we must be left free not to love him - we are free to resist it, deny it, crucify it finally, which we do again and again. This is our terrible freedom, which love refuses to overpower so that, in this, the greatest of all powers, God's power, is itself powerless.”

Gospel Text: (Jn 3:16-21)

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten 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-begotten 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.

 

Light reveals us to ourselves and others.  Even when we find ourselves back in our dark tombs, or in our self-imposed prisons afraid of the light----afraid of what it means to live in that light, God will be right there to free us, protect us, heal and love us if he ask him.  So, none of us can say we have never been loved.  If anyone says to you, "no one loves you," or treats you as though you are not lovable, ask them to read about your love story in the Gospel.  You have been freely and completely loved since the moment you were born….Never forget that!